Mallorca-Racing Santander

By: Jeremy | October 31st, 2009

After what was a busy but overall positive week on the road, Mallorca returns home to face Racing Santander where they will expect to take the full three points.

Mallorca gained a dramatic road point against in crisis Atletico on a last minute goal from Valero when they had only nine men on the field. While it was frustrating to lose two players to red so early, the fact the team continued to fight and even got a late equalizer shows the character of this team may be coming together a little sooner in the season then the past two years. The result only added to the crisis in the capital and Mallorca probably thinks they could have gotten three points if they had kept their players on the field.

While Mallorca sits in 6th place with 14 points, Racing has only half that amount and did not ease its early relegation worries with a home draw to a mediocre Osasuna club last week.

Both teams played mid week in the Copa with Mallorca losing 2-1 on the road to Valladolid and Racing losing on the road to lower division club Salamanca. While both teams will likely be thinking they can turn the ties around and advance to the 5th round when the return matches are played, both teams will be a little tired and expect the depths of each side to be tested this weekend.

Mallorca continues its fine overall team play and is beating the teams it expects to beat while earning points in tough road games against the perceived better clubs. While Aduriz and Valero are expected to be the ones who make the difference in how a game will turn out, they are getting solid play all around and if the team can keep its harsh fouling tactics to a minimum, they have to feel clubs like Racing will be pushovers at home.

Racing has not won in La Liga since Sept 19th when it took a road win over lowly Malaga. With Atletico and Villarreal soon to pass them in the standings without looking back, Racing is a strong candidate to be relegated. Midfielder Oscar Serrano is really the only bright spot for this team and he leads the team with three goals, but its strikeforce is weak and therefore this team simply cannot afford to fall behind and expect to get wins.

Expect some lineup shuffles from both teams. Webo may get a chance to play up front with Victor from the beginning and we might even see some youngsters who dont see much action so there are fresh players on the pitch at all times.

Three games in a week creates a lot of variables for both teams. Fitness, depth, and overall desire can make a game like this very hard to predict. However, with Mallorca clearly having more talent, being at home, and knowing they can really solidify a strong position with wins against bottom teams, the boys should be able to eek out a win even if it wont be all that pretty.

Prediction:
Mallorca 2-1 Racing

Prediction Record to Date:4-4