Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
As part of Matchday 36 in La Liga, Real Madrid will take on Mallorca. The clash is set for Madrid on Wednesday, May 14, with kickoff scheduled for 21:30 Central European Time. I’m offering a bet on the winner of this encounter.
Match preview
After another defeat in El Clásico, it’s safe to say that for the first time in four years, Real Madrid will finish the season without a trophy. Carlo Ancelotti simply had no answer to Hansi Flick, who, at the helm of Barcelona, has now won all four meetings with Real this season.
It was the Catalan side that denied Madrid every domestic trophy, beating them in both the Supercopa and Copa del Rey. Two league wins in La Liga also mean the title race is all but over. Following Sunday’s match, which ended in a 4-3 victory for the Blaugrana, Los Blancos now trail by seven points with just three games to go.
It appears Real will finish the season still under the guidance of the Italian specialist, but the arrival of Xabi Alonso seems only a matter of time. The Spaniard has already announced his departure from Bayer and this summer will take charge of a star-studded squad led by the phenomenal Mbappé. The forward netted a hat-trick in the last match and broke Zamorano’s record for goals in a debut season with Real Madrid.
Mbappé’s impact on the Royal Club is hard to overstate. On top of everything else, he has now overtaken Lewandowski and currently sits as La Liga’s top scorer. By contrast, Vinícius Júnior has been barely noticeable in recent matches and now has to accept his role as the club’s secondary star.
Last season, Mallorca finished only 15th in La Liga, but for the first time in 21 years reached the Copa del Rey final, where they lost to Athletic. After that, Jagoba Arrasate was appointed head coach, having done a solid job previously at Osasuna.
Under his guidance, Mallorca are enjoying a decent season and are fighting for a spot in European competitions. The islanders could finish higher than ninth for the first time in 13 years.
In their remaining matches, Mallorca will face an unmotivated Real and Getafe, before wrapping up the season with a direct showdown against top-eight rival Rayo Vallecano. Cracking the top eight seems a tough ask, but Mallorca are certainly capable of springing a surprise.
With overall low scoring numbers, strikers Larin and Muriqi have not impressed, combining for just 13 goals. Veteran Dani Rodríguez, however, stands out with 11 points in the goal+assist tally.
Match facts
- Real have won only two of their last five home matches.
- Los Blancos have conceded nine goals in their last three games.
- Mallorca have scored in just one of their previous four outings.
- The islanders have just one win in their last ten away fixtures.
- Real average 2.4 goals per home match, while Mallorca net an average of 0.8 goals per away game.
Probable lineups
- Real Madrid: Courtois, Vázquez, Asensio, Vallejo, García, Valverde, Ceballos, Modrić, Bellingham, Güler, Mbappé.
- Mallorca: Greif, Mojica, Raíllo, Maffeo, Valjent, Samu Costa, Mascarell, Darder, Asano, Larin, Muriqi.
H2H
- Real have won three of their last four meetings against Mallorca.
- Mallorca haven’t won in Madrid since 2009, losing nine straight visits.
Prediction
Chasing yet another individual accolade, Kylian Mbappé is in scintillating form. The Frenchman is in red-hot scoring touch and should continue adding to his tally. Real are clear favorites and, even without their main injured defenders, should confidently claim all three points. My recommendation is to back the hosts to win with a -1 goal handicap.
