Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca

A landmark occasion at the Metropolitano Stadium pits La Liga title hopefuls Atletico Madrid against out-of-sorts Mallorca.

Atletico Madrid ran riot in midweek Champions League action, dismantling RB Salzburg 4-1 to book a last-16 place and bounce back from a frustrating two-game winless run in La Liga (D1, L1). Back-to-back league failures after eight consecutive wins beforehand have resulted in Real Madrid leapfrogging ‘Los Colchoneros’ at the table’s summit, opening a four-point gap at the top. Therefore, Diego Simeone will aim to celebrate his 500th La Liga game in charge of Atletico Madrid on a winning note. He won’t accept anything less than three points after a 1-1 draw against Villarreal last weekend arrested Atleti’s six-game winning home league streak. That result puts them at risk of going two successive top-flight matches at the Metropolitano without winning for the first time since November 2022. 

Visiting Mallorca couldn’t have imagined a worse way to start the new calendar year after winning consecutive games toward the end of 2024 via a single-goal margin. Indeed, Jagoba Arrasate’s men have lost all four competitive matches in 2025 without scoring, conceding at least three goals in three. Mallorca’s scoring woes could be the instrument of their demise in Madrid, as they face an Atletico Madrid side they’ve lost against without scoring in three of their last four league H2Hs. However, three defeats in that sequence yielded a narrow 1-0 scoreline, suggesting ‘Los Piratas’ could give their more esteemed hosts a run for their money. Interestingly, they’re one of only two La Liga teams yet to draw a league game on the road this season (W5, L5), with their last five league travels fluctuating between defeats (3) and victories (2).