Real Oviedo vs Real Mallorca Prediction: Back the Half-Time Stalemate

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We're only a few months into the season in La Liga, but it already feels like Real Oviedo are firmly on course for relegation. They are rock bottom on nine points from 14 games, and they could really do with a positive result on Friday at home to fellow strugglers Mallorca. 

It has already been a turbulent season at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere. Oviedo's long-awaited return to the top flight after 24 years brought early excitement, but also swift reality checks. 

They lost five of their opening six matches, and despite a win at Mestalla against Valencia in the next game, promotion-winning boss Veljko Paunović survived for just one more fixture, a 2-0 home defeat against Levante. 

The board's decision to sack the Serb was criticised at the time, as was the reappointment of former coach Luis Carrión, who was booed by sections of the Oviedo faithful from day one. It's safe to say he was in need of a bright start, although that has been anything but the case. 

The 46-year-old has failed to win any of his opening six league games, and also oversaw a Copa del Rey first-round exit against minnows Ourense. Including an equally unsuccessful stint at Las Palmas at the beginning of last season, Carrión has failed to win any of his first 15 matches as a La Liga boss. 

During his time in Gran Canaria, and previous spell in Oviedo, Carrión favoured quite an expansive, ball-playing approach. There were glimpses of that in his second game back in charge, which ended in a 3-3 draw away to Girona. 

However, he seems to have swiftly realised that he doesn't have the players to adopt that style this time around. The Asturians have been much more conservative in recent weeks, and have failed to score in each of their last four matches. 

Mallorca had even fewer points than Oviedo after six games, but their form has picked up since then. Jagoba Arrasate is still under pressure, but wins over Alavés, Sevilla and Getafe have lifted his side out of the relegation zone. 

They head into this game on the back of a 2-2 draw at home to Osasuna, followed by a 3-2 cup win at Numancia on Tuesday night. Arrasate rotated heavily in that game, but this might be the biggest match of their season so far. Three points would lift the Balearic Islanders onto 16 points, level with Real Sociedad in 10th. 

One of the criticisms of Arrasate has been over a predictable style of play. So much of their football is geared towards getting long balls and crosses into target man Vedat Muriqi. The Kosovo striker has won more aerial challenges than any other player in La Liga, and he's also chipped in with eight of his team's 15 goals. 

Aside from Muriqi, the form of 19-year-old winger Jan Virgili has been one of the few positives for Mallorca this term. He has assisted goals in three of his last eight appearances, with the Spain U21 international outshining the club's main summer buy Pablo Torre, who joined from Barcelona for €5m. 

Team News: 

Aside from long-term absentee Álvaro Lemos, Oviedo will be missing three players on Friday night. First-choice left-back Javi López and winger Brandon Dominguès remain sidelined, while midfielder Luka Ilić has picked up a knock in the days since a 2-0 defeat away to Atlético Madrid last weekend. 

Veterans Santi Cazorla and Salomón Rondón both started that game, and will be among the leading candidates to end the home team's goal drought. 

Trying to thwart them will be Mallorca's young goalkeeper Lucas Bergström. The Finn had very little previous senior experience, aside from a 2022/23 loan spell at Peterborough United, but is currently in favour as a result of an injury to Leo Román.  

Full-back Antonio Lato is the only other absentee for the visitors, and Arrasate could go with the same team that drew against his former club Osasuna last weekend.