Real Sociedad vs Mallorca Prediction & Tips
Seventh in LaLiga EA Sports, 25 points behind the leaders and having lost 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against PSG, Real Sociedad have in the Copa del Rey their most feasible route to winning a title this season. Champions of the competition on three occasions, most recently in 2020, the team from San Sebastian is looking to become the first finalist of the CXX edition on Tuesday after a 0-0 draw with RCD Mallorca at Son Moix on February 6.
La Real is going through a serious slump at the Reale Arena, where last Friday they lost 3-1 against Villarreal, a painful defeat that extended their unbeaten streak at home to six matches (E4, P2). Imanol Alguacil’s side were unable to score in four of those matches, a very alarming lack of attacking success, although the recent record against Mallorca allows the Blue and Whites to face the clash with full confidence; Real are unbeaten in 11 matches against the Balearic club (G9, E2), the last of which ended with a 2-1 win in LaLiga a week ago.
The record of the meetings between the two clubs is even worse for Mallorca if we limit ourselves to the duels played at the Reale Arena; the “bermellones” have been defeated in their 12 previous visits to the Txuri-urdin stadium in all competitions. Incredibly, in each of their nine most recent away games against Real, Mallorca failed to score a single goal. To say that the challenge is enormous for Javier Aguirre’s side would be an understatement.
Champions of the Copa del Rey for the first and only time to date in 2003 under Gregorio Manzano and with the great Samuel Eto’o up front, Mallorca had not reached the semi-finals of the competition since 2009. After a poor start to the campaign, the Vermellon side has significantly improved its results in recent months – losing only four of its last 18 official matches (G7, E7, P4) – and is one step away from the fourth cup final in its history.
Players to watch: Txuri-urdin winger Takefusa Kubo, formerly of Mallorca, has seven goals at club level this season. Three of those goals have come in the opening ten minutes of games played at the Reale Arena. For Mallorca, the contribution of striker Vedat Muriqi, who has scored five goals in the current campaign, four of them in the first ten minutes or beyond the 80th minute, is vital.
Key statistic: Mallorca has scored three or more goals in four of its six matches in this edition of the Copa del Rey.
Real Sociedad – Mallorca FREE TIPS
OVER 2.5 GOALS @ 2.25
