Defending champions Real Madrid will travel to the Balearic Islands to face RCD Mallorca in search of back-to-back wins in La Liga.
RCD Mallorca will host Real Madrid on Sunday afternoon in La Liga. The visitors will be looking to close the five-point gap at the top of the table, with league leaders Barcelona set to play later in the day. Meanwhile, the home team would love to go strengthen their position as they look to finish mid-table in the ongoing season.
Mallorca will be heading into this encounter on the back of a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Cadiz. Things did not go to plan for them against a struggling Cadiz side. But, they will be hoping to put on a better show for their fans against Los Blancos.
The Balearic Islands-based club returned to the Spanish top flight last season. And, they managed to survive after finishing 16th in La Liga. In the ongoing season, they have done much better and are currently tenth on the points table.
Mallorca have not survived for two seasons in a row in La Liga since 2013. But this time, they do have a better chance to change that stat. The Pirates have done a great job so far, picking up 25 points in 19 matches.
They might be tenth on the points table, but Javier Aguirre’s side cannot relax because they are just six points off the drop zone. While defeats can bring them closer to the relegation zone, a few wins can close the gap between them and seventh-placed Rayo Vallecano, who have a four-point cushion.
Aguirre’s major concern heading into the Real Madrid fixture will be the lack of goals. Mallorca have only managed 15 goals in their 19 matches. But, they will be confident because of a rock-solid defense that have only conceded 18 goals.
Of late, Mallorca have been disappointing with three losses in the last four matches in all competitions. Their home record is decent with 14 points out of nine games. But, what will worry them is that they have lost their last four games against the visitors.
On the other hand, Real Madrid will be heading into this contest on the back of a clinical 2-0 win over Valencia on Thursday. Second-half goals by Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior guided them to the win.
Los Blancos now have 45 points in their 19 matches but are five points behind league leaders Barcelona. With half the season still left, they do have a chance to close the gap. But, they will have to be consistent and cannot afford to drop any more points.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men have the second-best away form in the league. They have 24 points out of a possible 30 while on the road. But, the interesting fact is both their defeats in the season have come away from home.
Real Madrid will leave for the Club World Cup after their match against RCD Mallorca. And, they will not feature in the league until February 18. At the same time, they also have their Champions League Round of 16 fixture against Liverpool.
It looks like a straightforward fixture for the defending champions. But it won’t be that easy despite the poor form of Mallorca because even Real Madrid have been inconsistent. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how the teams could line up and what tactics they might use.
Team News & Tactics
RCD Mallorca
Ready ✔️ pic.twitter.com/P8zdGqI6B1
— Real Mallorca (@RCD_Mallorca) February 3, 2023
Javier Aguirre has nothing to worry about as far as injuries go. But, he will be without the services of Jose Copete, who is suspended for the fixture.
The entire squad is available at his disposal, and he is likely to stick with his go-to 3-4-3 formation. While it is a back three on paper, the players that he uses suggest it is more of a subjective formation that changes according to the situation and the opposition.
Expect it to be more of a 5-4-1 against Real Madrid, with the visitors set to have the majority of the ball. Aguirre is expected to make a few changes after their disappointing loss last time around.
Matija Nastasic is likely to start ahead of Copete, who is suspended. Antonio Sanchez might return to the XI after starting on the bench in the last outing. Dani Rodriguez might be left out for Tino Kadewere, who came off the bench in their 2-0 defeat.
Predrag Rajkovic will start between the sticks, Nastasic, Antonio Raillo, and Martin Valjent will be the three defenders. The midfield four will be made up of Pablo Maffeo, Inigo Galarreta, Antonio Sanchez, and Jaume Costa. Maffeo and Costa will play out wide as the wing-backs. Finally, Kadewere will team up with Vedat Muriqi and Lee Kang-in as their front three.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Rajkovic; Nastasic, Raillo, Valjent; Maffeo, Galarreta, Sanchez, Costa; Kadewere, Muriqi, Lee
Real Madrid
Los Blancos do have a few injuries to worry about. The most significant of that is the injury of Karim Benzema, who was subbed off at the 60-minute mark against Valencia last time out. The extent of the injury is not clear but it has something to do with his right thigh.
Eder Militao and Toni Kroos were also forced out due to injury. Militao won’t feature against Mallorca, while Kroos is a doubt. Ferland Mendy and Lucas Vazquez have been sidelined with injuries for a while now and are not available. However, Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that David Alaba will be available.
💬 @MrAncelotti: "@RCD_Mallorca is a team that defend really well and can hit you on the counter. They’re solid at the back. Using the ball well and the movement up front will be decisive in the game". #RCDMallorcaRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/y1zpeChkbS
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 4, 2023
Rodrygo Goes is likely to replace Benzema as the striker for the trip. Aurelien Tchouameni will walk back into his preferred holding role, with Luka Modric and Dani Ceballos being the central midfielders.
Ancelotti will stick to his 4-3-3 formation for the trip. Thibaut Courtois will start in goal. Dani Carvajal will start at right-back, and Nacho will pair up with Antonio Rudiger in the centre of defense. David Alaba is expected to start after returning to the squad.
Tchouameni, Modric, and Ceballos will make the midfield trio, with the versatile Federico Valverde making an appearance off the bench. Vinicius Jr. will be on the left flank, with Asensio on the right. Finally, Rodrygo will start as the striker.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Nacho, Rudiger, Alaba; Ceballos, Tchouameni, Modric; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
Key Stats
- In their last five matches against RCD Mallorca, Real Madrid have scored 15 goals at an average of three goals a match.
- Mallorca have only won 15 matches out of the total 69 meeting between the two clubs. 12 have ended in a draw while Real Madrid have won the remaining 42.
- The most common result of matches between the two is a 2-1 win for Real Madrid when RCD Mallorca is playing at home is 2-1. Four matches have ended with this scoreline.
- In their last 21 meetings at the Son Moix Stadium, Mallorca have won seven times, four matches have ended in a draw while Real Madrid have won 10 times.
- In the previous season, Real Madrid won both home and away against RCD Mallorca (6-1 at home and 3-0 away).
Player to Watch
Vinicius Junior
With Karim Benzema out injured, a lot of weight will be on the young shoulders of Vinicius. The Brazilian international has been sensational in the past 18 months. He was on the scoresheet last time around and is expected to contribute to goals when they travel to face Mallorca.
He has played a total of 30 matches in the ongoing season and has 19 goal contributions. As far as the league is concerned, the Brazilian has ten goal contributions in 19 matches. The Real Madrid winger will be the key to success for Ancelotti against Mallorca on Sunday.
Prediction
RCD Mallorca 1-3 Real Madrid
Despite the absence of a few key players, Real Madrid are likely to be untroubled against Mallorca. The hosts have been inconsistent of late and are not expected to cause an upset. The reigning champions have quality players to fill in for those who are out.
Marco Asensio, Vinicius Junior, and Dani Ceballos are all in excellent touch, and they are likely to help Real Madrid get on top. The visitors will throw everything at Javier Aguirre’s men in order to come back with all three points in the bag.
Mallorca are good on the counter. And as a result, they might get a goal, although they are unlikely to stop the front three of Vinicius, Rodrygo Goes, and Asensio. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Los Blancos.
