When Real Madrid returns to action in La Liga on Sunday afternoon against Mallorca, they will be looking to make it seven straight wins across all competitions at the start of the 2022-23 campaign. Mallorca will be their opponent for the match.
Los Blancos, who are currently in the first position, are coming into this match on the strength of a 3-0 victory over Celtic in the Champions League. On the other hand, Mallorca, who are currently in 11th place, drew 1-1 with Girona in their most recent league match.
Real Madrid vs Mallorca Match Preview
Real Madrid had a fantastic 2021-22 season, winning both the La Liga and the Champions League. They have already won a trophy this season thanks to a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup on August 10.
Los Blancos have also gotten off to a flawless start in La Liga, with wins over Almeria, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, and Real Betis. They currently sit atop the league with 12 points, two ahead of second-placed Barcelona, who will likely think they can mount a serious fight for the title this season.
Conversely, Carlo Ancelotti’s squad defeated Celtic 3-0 in Glasgow on Tuesday night in Champions League play, with goals from Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric, and Eden Hazard.
After next week’s Champions League match against RB Leipzig at Bernabeu, Real Madrid will play the Madrid derby against rivals Atletico Madrid on September 18. This will be the third and last game for Real Madrid before the international break.
While Ancelotti’s squad hasn’t lost at Bernabeu in La Liga since March, when they were crushed 4-0 by Barcelona, they haven’t lost at home to Mallorca since May 2009. In addition, they beat the Pirates 6-1 in the same league encounter last season.
After finishing 16th in La Liga in their return season, Mallorca hopes to make it back-to-back seasons at this level for the first time since 2013.
Los Bermellones’ 2022-23 season began with a scoreless draw at Athletic Bilbao, and it ended with a 2-1 loss at home against Real Betis.
However, Mallorca has earned four points from their past two games, winning 2-0 at Rayo Vallecano on August 27 and then drawing 1-1 with Girona in their most recent match, to move up to 11th place in the league.
Two of Javier Aguirre’s upcoming three matches are against Real Madrid and Barcelona, but those aren’t the ones that will determine whether or not his squad stays in the league this year.
But Mallorca has a recent victory over Los Blancos on their resume, a 1-0 victory in October of this year, and the visitors will be the fresher of the two teams because they haven’t played since last Saturday.
Real Madrid vs. Mallorca Team News
Karim Benzema and Eder Militao, who both suffered injuries against Celtic, will not be able to play for Real Madrid this weekend.
Therefore, Hazard may start as a false nine, with Antonio Rudiger partnering with David Alaba in the center of the defense.
Jesus Vallejo has resumed team workouts and been included on the roster, but Alvaro Odriozola remains out with a recurring muscle injury.
Meanwhile, France international Eduardo Camavinga is pressing for a starting spot, and he may replace Modric, who will be rested, while Rodrygo may replace Federico Valverde.
Dominik Greif is still out for Mallorca with a hip injury, and he will likely be joined on the sidelines by Iddrisu Baba, Amath Ndiaye, and Angel Rodriguez.
The away side is likely to use a 3-5-2 system once again, with Vedat Muriqi and Lee Kang-in forming a lethal strikeforce in the final third.
Although head coach Aguirre has a lot of possibilities for a new midfielder, Antonio Sanchez and Dani Rodriguez are expected to keep their starting positions.
- Potential Real Madrid starting XI: Courtois, Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Mendy, Kroos, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Rodrygo, Hazard, Vinicius.
- Team Mallorca’s likely starting XI: Rajkovic, Copete, Raillo, Valjent, Maffeo, Battaglia, Sanchez, Rodriguez, Costa, Muriqi, Kang-in.
Our Prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Mallorca
Mallorca has the potential to make this a challenging match for Real Madrid, but we can’t see them losing at home. Despite losing their top scorer, Los Blancos still have more than enough talent to win this weekend in front of their home fans.
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