La Liga Match Preview: Mallorca Vs Real Madrid

Written By Onyeka Daniel

16th placed, Mallorca will welcome La Liga League leaders, Real Madrid to the Palma de Mallorca for the last game of 28th round of La Liga action with both teams pursuing different objectives. For the home side, just two points separate them 18th placez which is the last placing for relegation and after their four straight losses, they could find themselves drawn into the relegation battle with 10 matches to go after this fixture.

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While for the Los Blancos are fresh from their euphoric comeback win against PSG to progress to the next round in the UEFA Champions League and also looking to extend their lead at the top 10 points if they do get a win here, after Sevilla drew away to Rayo Vallecano.

But the major worry for the league leaders will be their away form in 2022, as they have just one victory from three away games but will be hoping to use the momentum from their win against PSG to mount an insurmountable lead at the top.

Style Of Play

Mallorca coach, Luis Garcia, up until their last match has been playing the 4-2-3-1 formation but switched to a 5-man defense in their loss against Celta Vigo and we could see him adopt this formation going forward as the relegation battle heats up in the coming weeks. With survival foremost on their mind, the team will probably adopt a defensive formation and look to hit their opponent with a quick counter attack.

Real Madrid, coach, Carlo Ancelotti may be tempted to rest some players as he looks to keep his squad fresh for the remaining part of the season, especially as they prepare to compete domestically and also in Europe. But they should maintain their 4-3-3 formation with a slight change in players, especially in the middle. We might see the likes of Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga getting a starting spot.

Recent Form

In their last 15 matches played, Mallorca have just 5 wins, 1 draw and 9 losses. Their last victory was against Athletic Bilbao in February at home. For Real Madrid, they have 10 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses in their last 15 matches. They have won their last 4 matches, scoring 11 goals in that time.

Head To Head

In their last 15 matches played against each other, Real Madrid have won them 10 times while Mallorca have 3 wins and 2 matches have ended in a draw. The last time Mallorca won the Los Blancos was in 2019, a 1-0 victory at home, sandwiched between 5 wins for Real Madrid and their last two wins in the same fixture.

Players To Watch

Japanese forward, Tafekusa Kubo, who is on loan from Real Madrid will be keen to prove himself to his parent club as he seeks to end his series of loan moves and earn a permanent place with the Los Blancos while Salva Sevilla has scored three of the team’s last 7 goals and will be looking to add to his tally against Real Madrid.

Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr need no introduction as they have been magnificent for Real Madrid this season but with Ancelotti expected to ring some changes in the squad, this could be the perfect time for Spanish forward, Marco Asensio to shine and further stake a claim to a starting spot in the team.

Injuries And Suspensions

D. Greif and Ruiz de Galarreta will be missing for the home side through injuries while M.Reina will be out through red card. Real Madrid have no injury worries on their hand and it should help them rotate in order to keep the squad in top shape, going into the running of the end of the season.