Mallorca and Real Madrid meet for the first time in seven years when Zinedine Zidane's side travel to the Estadi de Son Moix on Saturday evening.
Los Blancos will be glad to have this fixture back on the La Liga calendar as they have only lost on one of their last eight trips to the Balearic Islands.
Match preview
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Real Madrid could have been knocked off the top of the La Liga table by the time they face Mallorca as Barcelona's lunchtime visit to Eibar gives them the chance to leapfrog their fierce rivals despite Lionel Messi and company starting the season a little slowly.
Los Blancos are the only unbeaten team in the division and strung together four successive league wins prior to an international break which was historic for Spain, who fielded a lineup consisting of players from 11 different clubs for the first time in 99 years.
It was a big summer of change at the Bernabeu but it is one of their old guard, Karim Benzema, who has been their star man so far with six goals in eight league games.
Marquee signing Eden Hazard has yet to transition his Chelsea form to his new club, managing just a goal and assist apiece in his six appearances, and Ferland Mendy and Luka Jovic are also struggling to displace the established names in Zidane's preferred outfit.
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Mallorca, promoted last season via the Segunda Division playoff, find themselves in the relegation zone but have won two of their four home matches since returning to the Spanish top flight.
The last time Los Bermellones hosted Madrid, in 2012, they were on the end of a 5-0 drubbing - one of five straight defeats in this fixture - in which Cristiano Ronaldo scored two of his newly-reached 700 career goal milestone.
The only Real survivors from that encounter are centre-back partners Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, a formidable pairing but one which have only kept a single clean sheet in nine matches together this term - in last month's goalless draw with Atletico Madrid.
However, Mallorca have not exactly been free scoring upon stepping back up to La Liga, failing to find the net on five occasions with striker Ante Budimir responsible for three of the six goals they have managed, something which may concern head coach Vicente Moreno.
Mallorca form: DLLLW
Real Madrid form: WWDDW
Team News
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Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are both doubts for the visitors after picking up knocks on international duty which could give a chance to give Isco, a favourite of Zidane's first reign, the chance to regain his place in the team - the 27-year-old has only started once this season.
Gareth Bale also sustained a slight injury over the break but is expected to start, with Zidane having used the Welshman consistently despite his summer transfer saga. James Rodriguez and Vinicus Junior are on standby to complete the forward three alongside Benzema and Hazard.
Zidane has a choice between Marcelo and Mendy at left-back but otherwise Madrid's back five picks itself with Nacho Fernandez, along with winger Marco Asensio, still sidelined.
Mallorca are without Juan Hernandez, Baba Rahman and Aleksandar Sedlar but defender Antonio Raillo is fit again after being forced off last time out against Espanyol, meaning that Moreno could start with the same XI from that 2-0 win.
Mallorca possible starting lineup: Reina; Sastre, Valjent, Raillo, Ganez; Febas, Baba, Sevilla; Junior, Rodriguez, Budimir
Real Madrid possible starting lineup: Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Valverde; Bale, Isco, Hazard; Benzema
We say: Mallorca 0-3 Real Madrid
Mallorca have largely found life hard going back in La Liga and Real will be the biggest example yet of the step up in class.
If Hazard, Benzema and Bale can show any signs of some fledgling chemistry then they could steamroller the hosts, but it may be the clean sheet which would be most precious to Zidane.
Joe Fish
