The title chase is well and truly on in the La Liga this season, with both Barcelona and Real Madrid giving it their all. Atletico Madrid dropped points further on Saturday which led to the side losing ground on top four and Real Sociedad are likely to make it to the Champions League, but the fight for the top spot is only between two teams who are the biggest rivals in Spain. In a bid to keep up with the Catalans, they next face Mallorca away from home.
As for Mallorca, they have been on a topsy-turvy run in their last six games across all competitions, alternating between a win and a defeat. If that trend were to continue, they have to back up last week’s 2-0 defeat against Cadiz with a win in this big clash, but with a dismal record against the most successful team in the country, all they can do right now is hope.
Their last two matches at home have been extra dramatic. Against Real Valladolid on January 7, they scored a 94th minute winner to seal three points alongside a cleansheet despite not putting up their best performance. They did do better against Celta Vigo on January 21, where Dani Rodriguez ran riot and could’ve had more goals, but scored one and that settled the deal in the match.
Mallorca can get very tight defensively and at home in the league, they last conceded a goal against Catalan side Espanyol in a 1-1 draw. Since then, they have maintained an exceptional defensive record at their home ground and even registered an impressive victory against Atletico Madrid.
A major problem for Mallorca is that they are actually one of the lowest scorers in the league this term, having found the back of the net on just 15 occasions. The Pirates have had a good season so far, picking up 25 points from their 19 matches to take the 10th spot in the table, six points clear of the relegation zone, while they are only four points off seventh-placed Rayo Vallecano.
The problem for Real Madrid has been the injuries of some crucial players, which left them flatfooted in some of their recent matches. Although their overall results since the completion of the FIFA World Cup 2022 hasn’t been very bad, what keeps their fans disappointed is the growing lead at the top of the table and also the recent defeat in the Super Copa de Espana against Barcelona, where they were swept away one-sided.
The lead at the top of the table right now for Barcelona is five points, which could’ve been three points had Real Madrid not dropped points against Real Sociedad at home. Although Sociedad did well to conjure up a 0-0 draw and win a point to strengthen their stay in the top four, Carlo Ancelotti was left fuming as the manager remains optimistic of winning the title again.
However, the Galacticos bounced back in style last week against a struggling Valencia unit. Even in this fixture, Real had some problems in the first half due to the absence of Karim Benzema and there was a visible gap in that central position with nobody poaching up the chances. However, Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior scored in a span of two minutes shortly after the half-time break and the hosts managed to see through the game with that lead.
Real Madrid have the second-best away form in La Liga this term, picking up 24 points from their 10 matches, but both of their losses in in the top division this season have come on their travels, with Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal beating them in November and January respectively. Although their overall record against Mallorca is significantly impressive, one cannot rule out the fact that it is often in these kind of games that Madrid have found themselves shaky.
Los Blancos will be traveling to play in the Club World Cup next week, before returning to league action against Osasuna on February 18, which comes three days before a trip to Liverpool for the first leg of their last-16 Champions League contest. The fixtures are coming in thick and fast and there is plenty to play for for the Italian manager, who has not had the most impressive season by his standards, but is more than capable of upping the bar.
MAL vs RMA, La Liga 2022/23
Date: February 5, 2023
Time: 6:30 PM IST
Venue: Son Moix Stadium
FORM GUIDE:
Mallorca La Liga form:
W-L-W-L-W-L
Mallorca form (all competitions):
W-W-L-L-W-L
Real Madrid La Liga form:
W-W-L-W-D-W
Real Madrid form (all competitions):
L-W-W-W-D-W
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
Mallorca wins: 15
Draws: 12
Real Madrid wins: 42
TEAM NEWS:
Mallorca team news:
Mallorca will be missing Jose Copete through suspension for this match, with the defender picking up a yellow card in the team’s 2-0 defeat to Cadiz last time out.
As a result, Giovanni Gonzalez could come into the back three, but the home side have not reported any fitness concerns, so Aguirre has a strong squad to choose from. Tinotenda Kadewere made a positive impression off the bench against Cadiz and could now come into the starting side, with Lee Kang-in and Vedat Muriqi also set to feature in the final third of the field.
Real Madrid team news:
For the Galacticos, Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy will once again be absent, while Eder Militao and Karim Benzema are unavailable with the injuries that they picked up against Valencia.
Eden Hazard is also unavailable from the squad due to a muscular issue, but Toni Kroos is is expected to appear in this match despite picking up an injury against Los Che on Thursday night. David Alaba is expected return from a calf problem, with the Austria international set to feature alongside Antonio Rudiger in the middle of the back four.
Dani Carvajal is expected to return to the starting side after featuring off the bench last time out, while the same could also be said for Aurelien Tchouameni. Federico Valverde may also be back in the starting XI, with the Uruguay international potentially featuring in midfield, as Asensio impressed on the right against Valencia.
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Gonzalez, Raillo, Valjent; Maffeo, Ruiz de Galarreta, Sanchez, Costa; Kadewere, Muriqi, Kang-in
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Tchouameni, Modric; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius
Predictions:
Real Madrid have been better off while attacking the teams in transitions, but they have the passing quality of Valverde, Luka Modric and Asensio in the team, alongside the creative powerhouses in Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior. This is a team that should get a victory in a match like this without question, but so far, the season has panned out weirdly.
Mallorca can be a frustrating team to play against considering how they dry up the matches with their low block defensive setup. They are well capable of stirring up a chance going forward, although their scoring record has not been that good. However, their focus will be predominantly on shutting down Mallorca more than anything else.
This will be a difficult match for Ancelotti’s men, who have delivered the odd stinker performances on their away travels to some defensively stringent teams. This is one such away travel against a strong defensive team and a very noisy home crowd. However, one can still bank on their individual quality to come up trumps.
Our prediction is for Real Madrid to win 1-0.
