11/02/2001 00:00
TW
0

After being dumped out of the Cup by a well organised Celta team during the week, sixth placed Mallorca will be aiming to bounce back in the league when they visit 10th placed Malaga today. A nine-man Mallorca beat Celta 2-1 on Wednesday, but the victory was not enough to overturn the 3-1 first leg defeat. Mallorca are hit heavily today by news that creative midfielder Ariel Ibagaza has not recovered from a leg injury, while in-form striker Samuel Eto'o also misses the match after picking up a red card against Celta. The good news for Mallorca is that workhorse Marcos returns from suspension to solidify the midfield. Coach Luis Aragones was yesterday being philosophical and acknowledged Wednesday's Cup heartbreak had hit the team badly, but it was time to look to the future. “There is always a battle and we are all upset that we lost against Celta, however football goes on,” said Aragones. “We worked well, but we are unhappy because we had put a lot of emphasis on the Cup. “We have to concentrate on the league now and we are in a healthy position. “Malaga are a very complicated team, they play well up the wings and score goals,” he added.