Real Madrid will be bidding to move to within two points of leaders Barcelona in the La Liga table when they make the trip to Mallorca on Sunday afternoon.
Los Blancos will enter the contest off the back of a 2-0 victory over Valencia on Thursday night, while Mallorca were last in action on January 28, suffering a 2-0 defeat to struggling Cadiz.
Match preview
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Mallorca finished 16th in La Liga last season after securing a return to the top flight by claiming second in the Segunda Division, and they are bidding to make it back-to-back top-flight campaigns for the first time since 2013.
The Pirates have had a strong season to date, picking up 25 points from their 19 matches to sit 10th in the table, six points clear of the relegation zone, while they are only four points off seventh-placed Rayo Vallecano.
Mallorca are actually one of the lowest scorers in the league this term, having found the back of the net on just 15 occasions, but they have been strong defensively, conceding only 18 times, which has allowed them to sit in the middle of the division despite their problems when it comes to scoring.
Javier Aguirre's side will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Cadiz last Saturday, and they have now lost three of their last four matches in all competitions during a disappointing run.
Mallorca's home form this season will need to be strong if they are to push for a top-half finish, and they have collected a respectable 14 points from nine matches in front of their own fans, but the team have lost each of their last four La Liga matches against their opponents this weekend.
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Real Madrid, as mentioned, recorded a 2-0 victory over Valencia on Thursday night, with the reigning champions scoring second-half goals through Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior.
The win moved Los Blancos onto 45 points, five points behind leaders Barcelona on the same number of matches (19), but they will have the chance to cut the gap to two points at the end of this match, as Xavi's side are not in action until later in the evening against Sevilla.
Carlo Ancelotti's team do not have much room for error at the moment due to Barcelona's form, and they will be bidding to record their 15th La Liga victory of the campaign on Sunday afternoon.
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 Spain's top flight in 2022-23 have come on their travels, with Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal beating them in November and January respectively.
Los Blancos will take part 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, so it is a key period of the campaign for the club.
Team News
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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.
As for Real Madrid, Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy will again definitely be absent, while Eder Militao and Karim Benzema are out with the problems that they picked up against Valencia.
Eden Hazard is also missing from the squad due to a muscular issue, but Toni Kroos is included despite also picking up an injury against Los Che on Thursday night.
David Alaba should 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
We say: Mallorca 1-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid know that they cannot afford many dropped points due to Barcelona's form, and although Mallorca are more than capable of picking up a positive result, we are expecting Ancelotti's side to navigate their way to what would be a hugely important three points in this match.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
