SMASH IT ON European Football Preview

Two of the form sides of 2007 meet at the San Moix. In the second half of last season, these two sides accumulated 22 victories between them. For Villarreal, the highlight was an eight match winning streak from April onwards, which propelled them in the European places. Mallorca couldn't quite reach such heights, but they did go on a scintillating run in front of their own fans, winning seven consecutive games before finally succumbing, rather unjustly, to a well-organised Valencia side. A subsequent point in the penultimate week of the season, finally ended Sevilla's title aspirations. It was an outstanding performance from a side with supposedly nothing to play for. The San Moix is becoming something of a fortress.

FORM

Mallorca : Gregorio Manzano's side have picked up where they left off with a comprehensive 3-0 win over struggling Levante, confirming that the three-goal pre-season victory over (an admittedly weak) Bayern Munich side was no fluke. They could well have been expected to come back down to earth against big-spending Atletico two weeks ago, but showed much defensive resolve to come away from the Vicente Calderon with a fine point. The form of ex-Atletico man Ariel Ibagaza has gone some way to filling the void left by Serbian starlet Bosko Jankovic's summer departure. It's up front, where Mallorca look to have improved most. Daniel Guiza was a consistent scorer for Getafe, and has hit the ground running for his new employers, scoring twice in his first two games. The other key component in Mallorca's recent run is midfielder Jonas Gutierrez. So impressive his recent form has been, that it has earned him a national team call-up from Argentina.

Villarreal : Having crushed local rivals Valencia in their own back yard, the El Madrigal faithful could have been forgiven for dreaming of a title push this season. A comprehensive 3-0 victory looked like the culmination of all the hard work Manuel Pellegrini had put in, to revive Villarreal's flagging fortunes in the aftermath of the Juan Roman Riquleme business. Having relied upon the mercurial Argentinian for so long, it was never going to be easy blending a new team in a completely new style. Much credit must go to Pellegrini for turning things around from what looked like a perilous position last christmas. However, watching Real Madrid ruthlessly take his new team apart, scoring five goals without reply, it must have seemed like all his good work had gone to waste. Having had two weeks to dissect things, the general consesus in the Villarreal camp is that the result against Real was merely an 'accident'. Some may remark that the term could also be used to describe ex-Arsenal defender Pascal Cygan, but that would be a little unfair.

TEAM NEWS

Mallorca : Cameroonian striker Pierre Webo is still missing after his summer move from Osasuna, while creative midfielder Juan Arango is an injury doubt. Ex-Valencia defender David Navarro is finally available, after serving a long ban for his girly antics in the aftermath of the Champions League victory over Inter Milan.

Villarreal : Argentinian stopper Gonzalo Rodriguez is still unavailable, so Cygan may have to continue at the heart of the defence. An alternative option would be new-signing Diego Godin. Jon Dahl Tomasson is an injury doubt, so Chilean forward Matias Fernandez may be given a chance to impress. Ex-Manchester United striker Guissepe Rossi should keep his place upfront.

CONCLUSION

It would be wrong to write off Villarreal after the 5-0 horror show, but they look a little vulnerable at present, and a trip to Mallorca is not an deal place to revive flagging fortunes. As impressive as the opening-day win in Valencia was, my feeling is that it was more a case of 'los ches' self-destructing, making their small town neighbours look better than they probably are at present. Mallorca have only lost once at home since mid-january. It could well turn out that they are now a genuine top eight side, rather than the perennial strugglers we have seen since Samuel Eto'o departed many moons ago. If that, as I suspect, is the case, then 6/4 is a generous price about Manzano's improving side adding collecting another three points at the San Moix. Alternatively, we can keep level off the draw and take 4/5. At this stage of the season, that looks the sensible play.

Recommendation: 3pts Mallorca (Draw No Bet) at 4/5. Blue Square.

Ilunga