Real Mallorca will take on Athletic Bilbao on Monday night to bring this weekend's La Liga action to a close.
The match will see fifth take on sixth and could go a long way to determining which sides will qualify for European football at the end of the season.
Both teams come into the match in good form and both enjoyed wins last weekend so we're all set up for a potential classic in Mallorca.
How the bookies view it: A close one on paper
There isn't much in this clash on paper and the bookies have found it a complex match to price. Betfred have settled on Atheltic Bilbao being the favourites with an away win priced at 8/5. That means that Real Mallorca start the game as the underdogs at a price of 15/8. The draw, which wouldn't be a bad result for either side, has been priced at 21/10.
Recent head-to-head: Plenty of draws
The price of 21/10 for a draw on Monday night looks very attractive when you look at the most recent matches between these two teams. Four of the last five matches between Real Mallorca and Athletic Bilbao have finished level with a penalty shootout needed to separate them in the Copa del Rey final at the end of last season.
Players to watch: An intriguing midfield battle
While Athletic Bilbao's exciting forwards are well documented this is a fixture that has always involved an intense battle in the middle of the pitch. The Copa del Rey final back in April followed suit and it was two midfielders that got on the scoresheet during the initial 90 minutes.
Daniel Rodriguez gave Real Mallorca an early lead in the match and the 36-year-old is set to start again in the middle of the park on Monday night. Rodriguez has been a mainstay in midfield for Mallorca for the past seven years and despite him now being close to retirement, he still feels as important as ever.
Attacking midfielder, Oihan Sancet, replied for Athletic Bilbao in the cup final and he has started the current season in fine form. The 24-year-old has scored four goals in eight league appearances so far this campaign and will be a big threat on Monday night.
Predicted line-ups
Real Mallorca will be without Ivan Cuellar and Takuma Asano due to injuries but given that both men have been out for a while, they could start with the same XI that beat Rayo Vallecano last week. Unai Simon is missing for Athletic Bilbao due to a wrist injury but Aitor Paredes could return.
Real Mallorca: Greif – Maffeo, Valjent, Raillo, Mojica – Navarro, Costa, Rodriguez, Darder – Muriqi, Larin
Athletic Bilbao: Pena – Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde – Pedri, Gavi, De Jong – Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski
Anything else catch the eye?
Clashes between Real Mallorca and Athletic Bilbao rarely produce goals galore with just one of the last five matches between the two clubs producing more than two goals. Under 2.5 goals to be scored on Monday has been priced at 1/2 by Betfred.
This La Liga match between Real Mallorca and Athletic Bilbao will be played on Oct 28, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Mallorca vs Athletic Bilbao prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
