Atletico Madrid will look to secure their tenth win of the new season when they square up against 17th-placed Mallorca.
Atletico Madrid will look to build on their good start to the new season with another win when they host RCD Mallorca who look all set to be involved in an intense relegation battle as the 2023/24 season slowly takes shape.
The home team have won nine, drawn one and lost twice in their 12 league matches this season. With 28 points to their name, they sit fourth on the points table. They are six points behind league leaders Girona but do have a game in hand.
Diego Simeone’s team are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-1 win over Villarreal. They dominated the proceedings and were deserved winners on the day. They have won their last two games in all competitions after suffering a shocking defeat at the hands of Las Palmas.
The visitors have only won one out of their 12 matches this season. They have suffered defeats on five occasions and have played out six draws so far. With nine points out of their 12 matches, RCD Mallorca are currently 17th and look set for a battle for survival in the top flight.
Mallorca’s last league outing was against Real Betis at the start of November. They suffered a 2-0 defeat and were never really in for a positive result right from the start of the match. They will be hoping for a better performance against Atletico Madrid but it won’t be easy. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
The home team will be without the services of Memphis Depay, Thomas Lemar, Vitolo and Reinildo. Meanwhile, Rodrigo Riquelme will have a late fitness test before making it into the mix for this fixture.
✌️AG7 & MD9 ✌️ pic.twitter.com/JbtZuofG6O
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) November 23, 2023
Diego Simeone will have a closer look at the players who have returned from the international break but reports suggest they do not have any fresh injury concerns. They will go ahead with the 3-5-2 formation, where Jan Oblak will be in goal.
The back three will be made up of Jose María Giménez, Mario Hermoso and Axel Witsel. The trio will look for another clean sheet and will have the support of Nahuel Molina and Samuel Lino who will feature as the wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Rodrigo De Paul and Koke will feature alongside Saul Niguez. The trio will look to dictate the pace of this game and ensure they dominate the proceedings. In attack, they will stick with the tried and tested duo of Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann. Both of them have been in sensational form in the ongoing season, and they will look to continue in a similar fashion.
Probable Lineup (3–5-2): Oblak; Witsel, Gimenez, Hermoso; Molina, De Paul, Koke, Saul, Lino; Morata, Griezmann
RCD Mallorca
The visitors will be without the services of Vedat Muriqi due to an ankle problem. Meanwhile, Omar Mascarell is suspended because of the red card that he picked up in their last outing.
— Real Mallorca (@RCD_Mallorca) November 23, 2023
Mallorca will go ahead with the 5-3-2 formation for this fixture, where Predrag Rajkovic will be in goal. Giovanni Gonzalez and Jaume Costa will be the wing-backs in this fixture. They will look to provide width to their attacks and ensure their defence has enough support to stop a star-studded Atletico Madrid attack.
Martin Valjent, Antonio Jose Raíllo Arenas and Matija Nastasic will form the back three. Antonio Sanchez and Samu Costa will have the support of Sergi Darder in the centre of the park. The trio will try their best to ensure they do not allow the home team to dictate the pace of the game and have the majority of the ball.
In attack, Cyle Larin will pair up with 30-year-old Abdon Prats. The duo will look to score against the second-best defence in the league.
Probable Lineup (5–3-2): Rajkovic; Gonzalez, Valjent, Raillo, Nastasic, Costa; A Sanchez, Darder, Costa; Larin, Prats
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid have won 13 out of their last 31 matches against RCD Mallorca. Meanwhile, the visitors have only won nine times.
- Atletico Madrid won the last outing between the two clubs 3-1 and they can make it back-to-back wins over RCD Mallorca for the second time under Diego Simeone.
- The visitors have failed to win any of their last four away league games against teams from Madrid.
- Diego Simeone’s team have only lost one of their last 10 home matches against Mallorca in the league.
Player to Watch
Antoine Griezmann
Greizmann is the main man for Atletico Madrid. He has been in sensational form since returning from Barcelona. Now, that he has secured a permanent transfer back to Atletico Madrid, the 32-year-old French international has been fully focused on helping Diego Simone’s team win the league.
The French World Cup winner has 13 goal contributions in his 16 outings this season, and he will look to add to his tally when he takes the field against Mallorca. Given his recent form, he could end up being the difference between the two teams.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Mallorca
The home team have won nine out of their 12 matches this season. They might be six points behind league leaders Girona but have a game in hand. Diego Simeone’s men will look to win this fixture and close the gap at the top of the table.
The visitors have struggled in the ongoing season and have only won one match so far. While they will look to cause an upset against Atletico Madrid, they might not have enough gas in their tank. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the home team.
