MATCH INFO
At the beginning of the 2022–23 season, Real Madrid will play Mallorca in La Liga in an effort to make it seven straight victories in all competitions.
Table top Los Blancos will enter the game after a 3-0 victory over Celtic in the Champions League, while Mallorca, who are in 11th place, drew 1-1 with Girona in their most recent league meeting.
Match Preview
Real Madrid won the La Liga and Champions League in 2021–2022, and they have already won a trophy this year after defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the UEFA Super Cup on August 10.
Los Blancos have also had a flawless start to their La Liga season, defeating Almeria, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, and Real Betis to lead the league with 12 points, two points more than Barcelona in the second position, who will be hopeful of mounting a serious title push this year.
Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric, and Eden Hazard scored goals to help Carlo Ancelotti's club upset Celtic 3-0 on Tuesday night in the Champions League in Glasgow.
Real Madrid still has three games to play before the break. The following week, they will face RB Leipzig at the Bernabeu in the Champions League, and on September 18, they will play Atletico Madrid.
Ancelotti's squad hasn't suffered a La Liga defeat at the Bernabeu since Barcelona defeated them 4-0 in March, and they haven't lost to Mallorca in Madrid since May 2009, including a 6-1 triumph over the Pirates in the same league matchup the previous season.
Mallorca is attempting to win consecutive seasons at this level of football for the first time since 2013 after finishing 16th in La Liga in their first season back in the top division.
Los Bermellones began the 2022–23 season with a scoreless draw against Athletic Bilbao before losing 2-1 to Real Betis at home in the second game.
However, Mallorca has picked up four points in their past two games after winning 2-0 against Rayo Vallecano on August 27 and drawing 1-1 with Girona the following day. This puts Mallorca in 11th place in the standings.
In two of their upcoming three games, Javier Aguirre's club will face Real Madrid and Barcelona, but these are not the contests that will determine whether the team can avoid relegation this season.
However, Mallorca has recently defeated Los Blancos, triumphing 1-0 in October 2019, and the visitors will be the more rested of the two teams that have not played since last Saturday.
Team News
Karim Benzema and Eder Militao will undoubtedly miss this weekend's game for Real Madrid due to injuries they sustained against Celtic the previous time they played.
As a result, Hazard might start as a false nine, and David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger would likely line up in the heart of the defense.
Alvaro Odriozola is once more on the sidelines with a muscular issue, but Jesus Vallejo has returned to group training and been named to the squad.
In the meanwhile, Rodrygo and Eduardo Camavinga are competing for a slot in the starting lineup. If they succeed, they might replace Federico Valverde and Luka Modric, respectively.
Dominik Greif, Amath Ndiaye, and Angel Rodriguez are all scheduled to miss the game for Mallorca due to injury, and Dominik Greif is still out with a hip issue.
For this game, the visitors are anticipated to adopt a 3-5-2 system, with Lee Kang-in joining Vedat Muriqi in the final third of the field.
Despite having a variety of possibilities for change in the midfield, head coach Aguirre is also expected to keep Antonio Sanchez and Dani Rodriguez in the lineup.
Real Madrid's possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Hazard, Vinicius
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Copete, Raillo, Valjent; Maffeo, Battaglia, Sanchez, Rodriguez, Costa; Muriqi, Kang-in
⚽🧤 Final training session ahead of #RealMadridRealMallorca! pic.twitter.com/LcJSnXc3UY
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) September 10, 2022
Key Facts
- Mallorca has had less than 5.5 shots on target in 23 of the last 25 away games.
- There have been less than 9.5 shots on target in 19 of the last 20 Mallorca away games.
- Mallorca has scored less than 2.5 goals in each of their last 15 away games.
- Real Madrid has not lost in 12 of the last 13 LaLiga home games.
- RCD Mallorca's last away win against Real Madrid was in 2009.
- During the last 42 meetings, Real Madrid has won 24 times, there have been 6 draws while RCD Mallorca has won 12 times. The goal difference is 83-47 in favor of Real Madrid.
- During the last 21 meetings with Real Madrid playing at home, Real Madrid has won 14 times, there have been 2 draws while RCD Mallorca has won 5 times. The goal difference is 48-26 in favor of Real Madrid.
We say: Real Madrid 3-1 Mallorca
Mallorca are certainly capable of making this a tricky encounter for Real Madrid, but we are finding it difficult to back anything other than a home success. Los Blancos will be missing their star forward but still have more than enough quality to collect all three points in front of their own supporters this weekend.