The Matchday 20 clash in La Liga between Villarreal and Mallorca will take place on January 20 at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Villarreal vs. Mallorca: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Jose Luis Munuera Montero (Spain)
Matches – 9 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 48;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.3;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 44%.
Predicted lineups for Villarreal vs. Mallorca
Villarreal (4-4-2): Luis Junior – Sergi Cardona, Kiko Femenia, Juan Foyth, Willy Kambwala – Denis Suarez, Dani Parejo, Santi Comesaña, Pape Gueye – Thierno Barry, Alex Baena.
Mallorca (4-4-2): Dominik Greif – Pablo Maffeo, Antonio Raillo, Johan Mojica, Martin Valjent – Omar Mascarell, Sergi Darder, Takuma Asano, Antonio Sanchez – Daniel Rodriguez, Cyle Larin.
Each team's starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is listed.
Villarreal
The Valencians suffered a 0-1 away defeat to Real Sociedad in the last round. The team is in poor form, having won only once in their last seven La Liga matches (3 draws and 3 losses). This disappointing run has dropped them to fifth place, six points behind Athletic, who occupy the fourth spot. Notably, Marcelino Garcia's side has one of the worst defenses in La Liga, conceding 31 goals (only Valladolid has conceded more with 37 goals before the start of the round).
Midfielder Ilias Akhomach and forward Alfonso Pedraza will miss the match due to injuries.
- Both teams have scored in 17 of Villarreal's last 21 La Liga matches.
- At least three goals have been scored in 11 of the last 13 matches of the Valencians in the championship.
- At least two goals were scored in the second half in 10 of the last 13 home matches of the club in La Liga.
Mallorca
The islanders ended last year on a high note with two victories. First, they defeated Girona at home (2-1), followed by an away win against Getafe (1-0). These wins allowed Jagoba Arrasate's side to catch up with Villarreal in the standings, trailing only due to an inferior goal difference. Interestingly, in their last 16 league matches, the team has drawn only once (9 wins and 6 losses).
Goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar will miss the match due to suspension.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score of 13 of Mallorca's last 16 La Liga matches.
- Mallorca's uncompromising away run in La Liga stands at 10 matches (6 wins and 4 losses).
- A draw occurred in the first half in 9 of the club's last 10 league matches.
Villarreal vs. Mallorca: Match Prediction
The Valencians are in the European competition spots thanks to a strong start. However, as the season progressed, they began to drop points more frequently, with their defense making more mistakes than their attack can compensate for. Villarreal has not been impressive at home this season, securing only three wins against teams from the lower half of the table (with 4 draws and 2 losses).
I predict that the visitors will manage, if not to take points from the Estadio de la Cerámica, at least not to lose by two or more goals. Villarreal has won convincingly in only 9 of their last 11 home La Liga matches. Meanwhile, Mallorca has avoided losing by two or more goals in 32 of their last 34 league games. Additionally, in their last five head-to-head meetings in La Liga, Mallorca has won twice and drawn once, while Villarreal has won twice by a narrow margin.
My prediction – Mallorca with a handicap (+1)
