Real Mallorca play relegated opponents Real Zaragoza Deportivo Aragon away on Saturday at 1pm in their last league game of the season in Group III of Segunda B. As this game is a nothing-to-play-for match with the Palma side winning their group and Zaragoza B going down a month ago, the powers that be advanced the dead rubber encounter by 24 hours. It's good news for Mallorca because it gives them an extra day to prepare for the first play-off game which gets under way next Sunday - wherever and against whomsoever that may be. The draw for these takes place in Madrid on Monday at 4.30 pm.
Season tickets are NOT VALID for the game in Palma and “entradas” went on sale on Thursday. 829 went in the first day, 111 of them from non-season ticket holders. Prices are as follows: Luis Sitjar stand behind the north goal - five euros; Grada Sol (under the flagpoles facing the main stand) - eight euros; and Tribuna (main stand) - ten euros. For children and old codgers like me it will be 3 euros. Tickets can be obtained from the new state-of-the-art ticket office at the Son Moix, Monday to Friday, 09.00 to 19.00 uninterrupted. If non-season ticket holders want to go to the game, their ticket prices are 20 euros, 25 euros and 30 euros.
So who do we face in these all-important match-ups? Nothing will be decided for definite until tomorrow night around 8 o'clock when all the games will have been completed, then the draw is 24 hours later. At the moment the favourites from the other three groups are Mirandes from the Burgos region of Castile and Leon, Cartagena in the Murcia region and Madrid team Rayo Majadahonda. Mirandes's ground has a 6,000 capacity, Cartagena 15,000 and Rayo 3,865.
On Monday immediately after the draw is completed various Mallorca supporters clubs will be organising trips to wherever with local travel companies. There's bound to be a mass exodus of Mallorquinistas cheering the boys onwards and upwards into the Second Division. Ideally for local supporters, Cartagena would be the most accessible venue and their ground would take far more travelling fans. The limited capacity of the other two grounds will leave many local fans disappointed. It's going to be a race against the clock to get hotels/flights/boat trips organised in less than a week. Madrid is pretty straightforward but Mirandes means flying to either the capital or Bilbao then a lengthy coach trip. In the play-offs some teams flourish, some fret and some freeze. It's all about the team that can handle the stress of the occasion, and for the fans, emotional drama.