Luque-less Mallorca face dog fight

A classic relegation dog fight awaits Real Mallorca this afternoon as they travel to 18th place Tenerife without leading scorer Albert Luque. Over the past two weeks Mallorca have dragged themselves out of the relegation zone with consecutive victories over Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna, but they now face a Tenerife side who have avoided defeat three weeks running under the stewardship of new coach Javier Clemente. With just nine matches of the season remaining, and a measly four points separating the bottom eight teams, Clemente and Mallorca coach Sergio Kresic both know the importance of today's match. Victory for either team will give them more breathing space. Defeat, and the Black Hole that is the second division draws ever closer. Yesterday Kresic was in typically buoyant mood about his side's chances against the rejuvenated Canary Islanders. “I can only really talk about my team, and they have worked really well all week,” said the Croat. “We definitely have the mental strength to go to Tenerife and win.” Kresic was rather blunter when it came to his choice of system for today's match. “In football I only know one way, and that is to win. Talk of systems is for you lot,” he told reporters. Luque's absence is a big blow to Mallorca, but, in Roberto Losada, they have a more than adequate replacement. Losada, on loan from Real Oviedo, has scored four this season despite only returning from a year long injury in January. Joining the 25 year-old Spaniard up front will be Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o, scorer of three goals in the past two matches. Eto'o also scored in the home fixture against Tenerife in November when his penalty, coupled with a rare goal from defender Miquel Soler, saw Mallorca win 2-0.