Matchday 20 in the La Liga fixture between Mallorca and Athletic Club will take place on 17 January at the Mallorca Son Moix. Mallorca vs Athletic Club: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Mallorca
2026 has not started well for Mallorca. After a four-match unbeaten run in the Primera Division, the home team have suffered two straight defeats. The team lost to Girona and Rayo Vallecano by the same 2:1 scoreline. The hosts have scored in four consecutive league matches, but during that spell they have failed to keep a clean sheet even once. Mallorca’s league position remains extremely precarious: after the first half of the La Liga season, the club sit 17th, just one point clear of the bottom three.
- Both teams scored in six of the islanders’ previous seven matches in the Spanish league.
- Mallorca’s scoring run at home in this competition has reached seven matches.
- At least two goals were scored in nine of the club’s last 11 home games in La Liga.
Potential Mallorca Lineup (4-4-2)*
Leo Roman – Pablo Maffeo, Martin Valjent, Marash Kumbulla, Johan Mojica – Samu Costa, Omar Mascarell, Toni Lato, Antonio Sanchez – Jan Virjili, Vedat Muriqi.
Pablo Maffeo is suspended. Fellow defender Antonio Raillo and midfielder Manu Morlanes are unavailable through injury.
Athletic Club
In their last league match, Athletic Club shared the points away to Osasuna (1:1). As a result, the away side’s winless run in this competition has stretched to three matches (one draw, two defeats), their worst sequence since October-November. Across the last 16 La Liga rounds, the Basque outfit have managed just four wins and collected 15 points — only three clubs have fewer. Even so, Ernesto Valverde’s men are holding on to eighth place in the table. Athletic Club are currently five points adrift of the European places.
- The Basque side have conceded in five of their last seven Primera Division matches.
- At least two goals were scored in six of the club’s previous seven matches in this tournament.
- At least one team failed to score in six of Athletic Club’s last eight away games in the Spanish league.
Potential Athletic Club Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Unai Simon – Andoni Gorosabel, Daniel Vivian, Aitor Paredes, Adama Boiro – Mikel Jauregizar, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta – Nico Williams, Oihan Sancet, Inaki Williams – Gorka Guruzeta.
Due to injuries, the team will be without defenders Aymeric Laporte and Unai Egiluz, midfielders Benat Prados and Mikel Vesga, and forwards Alex Berenguer and Maroan Sannadi.
Referee
Jose Luis Guzman Mansilla (Spain)
Matches – 9 (La Liga, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 39;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.3;
Red cards shown – 1;
Fouls per match (average) – 27;
Penalties – 0%.
Mallorca vs Athletic Club: Match Prediction
After the break in the league season, Mallorca have suffered back-to-back La Liga defeats for the first time in several months. Their cushion above the relegation zone has been reduced to the bare minimum, so the team urgently need to pick up points of any kind. Home support could be a key factor, given that before the recent defeat to in-form Girona the hosts had gone seven straight Primera Division home matches unbeaten (three wins, four draws). It is also worth adding that Mallorca are unbeaten in five consecutive head-to-head meetings with Athletic Club at home (one win, four draws).
The Basque side still cannot find consistency, which is why they are understandably stuck in mid-table. The club’s winless run in the Spanish league has reached three matches, and since the start of autumn Athletic Club have averaged only one win every four rounds. Away matches have been particularly difficult: ahead of this trip, the team had collected three points in just one of their last eight La Liga games on the road (two draws, five defeats).
It is also possible that Athletic Club will feel the effects of playing 120 minutes in the Copa del Rey in midweek.
Prediction: Mallorca, double chance
* For each team, the starting line-up listed is from their previous match in this competition.
