Real Mallorca vs Real Madrid – 05/02/2023
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Real Madrid are five points behind first-place Barcelona ahead of their trip to Mallorca on Sunday. Madrid have the chance to put pressure on Barcelona, as they play earlier in the day. Barcelona will kick off in the day’s final match versus Sevilla.
Los Blancos would move within three points of Barcelona with a win over Mallorca before the Catalans kick off against an improving Sevilla team. Madrid are unbeaten in three straight games and are coming off a 2-0 home win over Valencia on Thursday.
? @nachofi1990
? @vinijr#RMCity pic.twitter.com/YSo7s2WY5c— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) February 3, 2023
Mallorca are 10th in the table but they aren’t safe front relegation. Six points separate 10th place and 18th-place Cadiz. The battle for La Liga safety is close at the halfway point in the season.
Real Madrid won five of their last six games against Mallorca and outscored the Islanders 20-5. Earlier this season, Madrid smashed Mallorca 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Mallorca scored first thanks to a 35th-minute goal from Vedat Muriqi.
From there, it was all Madrid has Federico Valverde, Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Antonio Rudiger all got on the score sheet. Los Blancos have been strong on the road this season with a record of 8W-0D-2L.
Mallorca have struggled at home putting together a record of 4W-2D-3L. The Islanders are on a three-game home winning streak and should make this a difficult game for Madrid.
Manager Javier Aguirre goes into the game with one player set to miss the fixture. Manuel Arias is suspended for the game. Muriqi leads the team in goals with eight this season. He has scored more than 50% of Mallorca’s goals in La Liga.
Carlo Ancelotti’s ageing squad has a few injury issues going into the game. Defenders Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy are ruled out of the game. Defender David Alaba is a doubt following a leg injury.
Forward Karim Benzema is now ruled out following a hamstring injury until February. Toni Kroos and Lucas Vazquez are both set to miss the game. Madrid’s injury issues could prevent them from making a run at first-place Barcelona or a deep run in the Champions League.
Despite the issues Ancelotti faces, Madrid played well against Mallorca in their last six head-to-head encounters. Los Blancos should post a narrow 2-1 win away versus Mallorca.
Vinicius could come up big for Madrid with a goal just like he did versus Valencia in midweek. Without Benzema, Vinicius will become even more important for Madrid.
