Matchday 12 - Featured Preview: Sevilla vs Real Mallorca

Real Mallorca will come face to face with their old mentor on Sunday when they visit Gregorio Manzano's new side Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Manzano is unbeaten at home at his new club having dispatched close rivals Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Valencia in recent weeks. Just like at Mallorca, the Andalusian coach's main priority is to build a strong home base from which to launch a top four assault. Standing in his path on matchday twelve is his old club and his shrewd managerial successor in Palma, Michael Laudrup. 

SEVILLA

Player to Watch: Antonio Luna

A last minute Alvaro Negredo winner gave Sevilla a 1-2 win over Real Zaragoza at the Romareda on matchday eleven and that win puts the Andalusians on the brink of a return to the top four. They currently sit 5th but they are level on points with Valencia, who are just above them, heading into Sunday's clash with Gregorio Manzano's former employers Real Mallorca. The Balearic club will want to show up their former boss but, with Manzano's inside knowledge of the club and most of the players who used to be under his tutelage, you would expect Sevilla to triumph. Added to that is the fact that Mallorca are awkward travellers and lack the quality that Manzano's new team boasts, on paper at least. Sevilla are LWLWW in their last five matches and this is the first of back to back home matches in La Liga from which they will hope to garner six points.

Fernando Navarro has to serve his second domestic suspension of the season on Sunday, which sees him come out of the Sevilla back four. Last time he was banned, Antonio Luna came in from Sevilla Athletic and started ahead of Mouhamadou Dabo and that could be the case again, with young Luna joining Martin Caceres, Alexis Ruano and Abdoulay Konko in defence. Federico Fazio and Ivica Dragutinovic are not physically apt to compete in that area, while further up the field injuries also keep Diego Capel, Jesus Navas and Tiberio Guarente sidelined. Romaric and Andres Palop have proven their fitness and both could start at the Pizjuan. Romaric was very nearly cast out by Antonio Alvarez but a deadline day loan to Real Zaragoza fell through and he has come back to prominence under Gregorio Manzano, even replacing Didier Zokora as the preferred midfield hardman for now. Renato, just ahead of the Ivorian, and Alejandro Alfaro and Diego Perotti in wide areas, will provide the attacking impetus from midfield, with Fredi Kanoute and Luis Fabiano hoping to continue up front with Alvaro Negredo confined to the bench despite his fine goal-scoring form.

Possible starting XI: (4-4-2) Andres Palop; Abdoulay Konko, Alexis, Martin Caceres, Antonio Luna; Alejandro Alfaro, Renato, Romaric, Diego Perotti; Luis Fabiano, Fredi Kanoute;

REAL MALLORCA

Player to Watch: Gonzalo Castro

Real Mallorca were held to a 0-0 draw at the Iberostar Estadi by Deportivo La Coruna last weekend and those dropped points restricted them to 10th position in the league table after matchday eleven. On matchday twelve they are back on the road as they visit Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, the new home of their former boss Gregorio Manzano. Manzano is remembered fondly by the Balearic fans for steering the club to 5th last season on a shoe-string budget, but Mallorca will be hoping to tarnish his record on Sunday with a rare away win. Michael Laudrup's team are LWWLD in their last five matches but they felt their performances deserved more from the last two games, having fallen to late goals in the 3-2 defeat at Real Zaragoza and having drawn a blank against Deportivo. Despite feeling hard done by, one of Michael Laudrup's strengths is that he knows his side's limitations so he will urge caution heading to Andalusia against a technically superior team.

The return of Enrique Corrales and Sergi Enrich this week has left the Mallorca medical room empty so Laudrup has a full compliment of players to choose from. He has opted not to rush Enrich and Corrales back into the squad and due to the surplus of numbers that goes hand in hand with a fully fit squad, they, as well as Tuni, Marti Crespi and Sergio Tejera, are left out of the travelling group. He is most likely to play with just one striker in the Pizjuan, with Fernando Cavenaghi and Pierre Webo competing for the right to lead the attack. In that case, Jonathan de Guzman, Chori Castro, Jose Luis Marti, Emilio Nsue and either Michael Pereira or Joao Victor would start in the midfield five in front of the regular back four of Pau Cendros, Ivan Ramis, Jose Nunes and Ayoze Diaz. Duda Aouate will continue in goal. One possible variation in personnel could see Ratinho start ahead of Cendros in defence, while a switch to the 4-4-2 would mean both Cavenaghi and Webo starting - unless Victor Casadeus is brought in - which would mean no place for Pereira or Victor from the outset. A fit-again Chori Castro is the main danger man as far as Sevilla are concerned; he will be looking to make up for lost time after a couple of weeks watching on from the stands.

Possible starting XI: (4-2-3-1) Duda Aouate; Pau Cendros, Ivan Ramis, Jose Nunes, Ayoze Diaz; Pep Luis Marti, Joao Victor; Emilio Nsue, Jonathan de Guzman, Gonzalo Castro; Fernando Cavenaghi;