Real Madrid will resume their La Liga campaign with an away game against relegation-threatened RCD Mallorca on Saturday.
The La Liga title race will once again become the central talking point as the final international break of the season is now done and dusted. Contenders Real Madrid will look to keep up the pressure on leaders Barcelona with a win over Mallorca, who won’t go down without a fight.
The home team are 18th on the table with 28 points in their 29 outings. They have seven wins, seven draws and 15 defeats to their name. Since they are only a point off 17th-placed Elche, Mallorca have every chance of surviving the drop.
However, with just nine games to go, they do need to put in the hard yards. They have only won one out of their last five league games and are heading into this fixture on the back of a defeat to rival Elche, which was a massive blow. After a lengthy break, they will be hoping to cause a major upset against Alvaro Arbeloa’s team.
Meanwhile, the visitors are second on the table with 69 points in their 29 matches. They have 22 wins, three draws and four defeats so far. Two of those defeats have come in their last five outings. However, they are heading into this fixture on the back of three consecutive wins in the league.
Los Blancos are four points behind Barcelona, and with just nine games to go, the team in white can’t afford to drop points anymore. As a result, this is pretty much a must-win game for them. They secured an important 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in their last outing and will be confident about building on that performance against Mallorca.
The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
RCD Mallorca
Jan Virgili and Johan Mojica are both back available after serving a suspension in their last league outing.
However, the home team do remain without the services of Jan Salas (knee) and Lucas Bergstrom (muscle). Meanwhile, Takuma Asano (hamstring) and Marash Kumbulla (muscle) will undergo late fitness tests to determine their availability.
Mallorca will stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Leo Roman will take charge in goal. Pablo Maffeo and Johan Mojica will feature as the full-backs, while Martin Valjent will partner with Antonio Raillo in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Samu Costa and Omar Mascarell will form the double pivot. The duo will look to shield the backline. They will certainly have a lot of defending to do against a star-studded Madrid side.
Mateo Joseph and Jan Virgili will feature on the flanks for the home team, while Pablo Torre will take up the number ten role behind the in-form Vedat Muriqi, who will continue to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Roman; Maffeo, Raillo, Valjent, Mojica; Costa, Mascarell; Joseph, Torre, Virgili; Muriqi
Real Madrid
Having received a red card against Atletico Madrid, Federico Valverde is suspended for this fixture. Apart from the South American, Dani Ceballos (calf), Rodrygo (knee) and Thibaut Courtois (thigh) are also certain to miss this fixture.
Meanwhile, Ferland Mendy (hamstring), Raul Asencio (muscle), Eder Militao (hamstring) and Vinicius Junior (thigh) are major doubts. The Brazilian winger could start on the bench with Arbeloa unlikely to take any risks with his star forward.
The team in white will line up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, where Andriy Lunin will feature in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alvaro Carreras will be the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Antonio Rudiger will partner Dean Huijsen.
In the centre of the park, teenager Thiago Pitarch could be handed another start alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga. While Jude Bellingham is back fit, he will most likely make an appearance off the bench.
Arda Guler will take up the number ten role behind the attacking duo of Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz. The trio have been in fine form of late and will look to ensure they don’t need Vinicius to play a part here.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras; Pitarch, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Guler; Diaz, Mbappe
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have won each of their last five games across competitions.
- Mallorca have only won one out of their last six games (four defeats).
- After consecutive defeats in the league, Arbeloa’s men have won their last three La Liga outings.
- Real Madrid have won each of their last three games against RCD Mallorca.
- In the reverse fixture earlier in the season, Los Blancos came from behind to secure a 2-1 win.
Player to Watch
Arda Guler
Ever since Alvaro Arbeloa took charge, Guler has regained prominence in the team, and he has backed it up with some exceptional performances. He has been the creative force for Los Blancos, and he carried that form into the international break.
The 21-year-old has 17 goal contributions in his 45 outings this term. He contributed towards two goals in his last three league outings. While the focus will be on Mbappe, Guler could end up having a massive say on the end result of this fixture.
Prediction
RCD Mallorca 0-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid will head into this fixture as clear favourites, given their superior quality and strong run of form in recent weeks. Despite a few injury concerns and suspensions, Los Blancos have enough depth to control proceedings and create better chances, especially with their attack looking sharp in recent outings.
Mallorca, however, will be desperate for points in their battle for survival and are expected to put up a resilient display at home. They will likely stay compact and look to frustrate Madrid while relying on set-pieces and counter-attacks. While they could make things difficult, Real Madrid’s overall quality should see them get the job done and secure another important win in the title race. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the away team.