Apparently Tomasson did not travel with the team after his two international matches. That would possibly put Nihat or Franco up with Rossi. My guess would be Nihat - maybe the opportunity he was asking for earlier in the week. Whatever the result, I will be happy when every time I read about Villarreal, I do not have to be reminded about the Real Madrid match - but hopefully we can sneak off the island with three points.
Did anyone get to watch the game? The report I read indicated Villarreal were the lesser side and managed to sneak away with one - but three points are three points are three points. Great turnaround for the squad, and now we can get ready for Bate in midweek. I was a little surprised to see Pelligrini go with pretty much the same lineup (apart from the Tomasson/Franco switch) from the Madrid match (correct me if I am wrong on that). I would be interested in seeing Cani and/or Mati get a start. And, for that matter, we have not seen Godin, Mavuba or Angel yet. Might Mavuba move in for Senna on Wednesday?
Final Result: Mallorca: 0 - Villarreal: 1 Goal: '72 Nihat Kahveci Nihat get back his business. Glad to see he scored winning goal. Wellcome back Nihat! Vamos Villarreal!
Franco apparently suffered a slight injury to his right leg during the match according to the club's website. It is unclear if he will be back by Wednesday.
A quote (or at least a somewhat close translation) from El Mundo's report: "Villarreal left the impression of a great team in the Ono Estadi, with a balance in all its lines . . . . The team of the Chilean Manuel Pellegrini looked much more like that which defeated Valencia 0-3 than that which in front of Real Madrid sank to a knee (0-5)."
That was close. Seemed an almost identical starting lineup other than Tomasson. The subs of Matias, Can and Nihat similiar too. On to UEFA CUP!