Espanyol vs Mallorca | Football Previews & Free Betting Tips | 15th September 2025

LaLiga’s Monday at the RCDE ( 15 September 2025 ) feels like a tone-setter for both. Espanyol arrive on a seven-game unbeaten league run and sit top-five after a calm 1–0 over Osasuna last time out. Depth has shifted with the recent farewells of Fernando Pacheco and Brian Oliván, but the squad looks settled and organised. Mallorca have one point from three, searching for fluency after a busy window that brought in Pablo Torre and Marash Kumbulla. The away end will travel well from the islands, but it’s the hosts’ noise that should carry this.
Expect Espanyol to build in a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 with tidy circulation and width from full-backs, while Mallorca toggle between a compact 4-2-3-1 and a back-three look to protect the box and counter into the channels. It reads like control versus counter — fine margins likely.

• Espanyol’s patient build then diagonal: ~48% possession, 80% pass completion last season; they like to work into the half-spaces and hit the far-side runner or a cut-back to the edge.
• Mallorca’s compact shell: ~47% possession, chances typically from fast touchline breaks and early crosses towards Vedat Muriqi. They keep games narrow and look for set-play moments.
• Set-pieces in play: Espanyol around 0.21 set-piece goals for (0.26 against); Mallorca ~0.18 for (0.24 against). First contact and second balls could decide this.

Espanyol: Javi Hernández is ruled out. Otherwise the core is intact. Expect responsibility on Javi Puado to carry threat between lines, with new faces Luca Koleosho and Tyrhys Dolan offering dribble and pace if selected. In midfield, Pol Lozano/Edu Expósito and ball-winner Charles Pickel give balance. Defensive options include Clemens Riedel, Miguel Rubio, Leandro Cabrera, and the energetic Omar El Hilali at right-back.

Mallorca: Doubts over Javi Llabrés and Pablo Maffeo. Dani Rodríguez is suspended. There’s still craft via Sergi Darder and on-loan creator Pablo Torre, while Samú Costa/**Omar Mascarell** anchor the middle. Up top Vedat Muriqi remains the reference point, with support options from Takuma Asano and Abdón Prats. At the back, Antonio Raíllo, Martin Valjent and loanee Marash Kumbulla provide height on set-plays.

Espanyol (last 10 competitive): 4 wins, 2 draws, 4 defeats. Scoring around 1.05 per game, conceding 1.37, clean sheets about 26%. They finish strong — roughly 60% of goals after the break — and are tidy at home.

Mallorca (last 10 competitive): 3 wins, 3 draws, 4 defeats. Low-event feel: 1.00 scored, 1.21 conceded, clean sheets ~24%. They often keep it narrow and look for the one big chance to Muriqi.

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Espanyol at home: trending upwards — steady ball share, just over a goal a game scored, and improved control after half-time. Clean sheets around the one-in-four mark.

Mallorca away: stubborn and compact — often one-goal games either way, about a goal scored per match and ~1.2–1.3 conceded. Set-plays are their best route if the game stays bitty.

Both sides lean low-event, with Espanyol a touch higher on chance creation (~1.12 xG for) and Mallorca similar (~1.05). Defensively the proxies point to slim daylight — hosts slightly tighter in current form, visitors reliant on box protection.

Recent meetings are tight and often low-scoring — four of the last five settled by a single goal or a draw.

Javi Puado (Espanyol): Finds space between the lines, smart movement in the box, and carries a threat on quick combinations — ideal for unlocking a deep block.

Vedat Muriqi (Mallorca): Focal point for crosses and direct play; wins fouls, occupies centre-backs, and turns half-chances into shots. Huge on set-plays at both ends.

Prediction: Espanyol 1–0 Mallorca. Hosts have the cleaner rhythm right now and defend the box well at RCDE. Mallorca will keep it close and look for the one Muriqi moment, but the home balance and recent edge tip it.

Main Pick: Espanyol to win — form and home control favour the hosts in a narrow game.

Value Bet: Under 2.5 goals — Espanyol 62% under; Mallorca 65% under across recent tens. Profiles point to a low scorer.