Roa praised as Mallorca turn thoughts to Villarreal

Reial Mallorca goalkeeper Carlos Roa got most of the praise in the local media yesterday after making a successful return to the team in Wednesday night's 1-0 victory over Schalke 04. Despite a few jittery moments Roa, who replaced the injured Leo Franco between the Mallorca posts, played a solid game that belied the fact he had not played for almost a year. “I passed the test in a very difficult match,” said Roa yesterday. “We won, which is the most important thing, and we are all content,” added the former Argentine number one. “It is a lot different playing a match than it is training every day, which makes the match against Schalke a true test, which I fortunately passed.” The victory puts Mallorca in second place in Group C after three matches, a strong position from which to qualify for the second group stage. Three points above Arsenal, Mallorca's match at Highbury on October 24 looks to be shaping up to be one of the most important in the club's history. Meanwhile it's back to league action on Sunday when fourth placed Villarreal visit the Son Moix. Villarreal players have already said they will have an advantage after Mallorca's tiring European trips, and the Mallorcan defence will need to be especially alert for Martin “El Loco” Palermo, the team's star striker. Argentine Palermo made a high profile move from Boca Juniors to Villarreal last season after an impressive display against Real Madrid in the World Club Cup earlier in the year. Villarreal midfielder Quique Alvarez was one of the players who thought his side could take advantage of Mallorca's fatigue. “These European matches have a lot of tension and are very physical which could mean Mallorca play at a lower level on Sunday,” said Alvarez. “Although having said that Mallorca are extremely fit,” added the 26 year-old. Real Mallorca's official website www.rcdmallorca.es is now in English as well as Spanish and Catalan. It's worth a visit, if just for the often hilarious translations.