Real Madrid vs Mallorca

Real Madrid and Mallorca are set to lock horns in a midweek La Liga encounter at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. 

Real Madrid’s La Liga title hopes took a hammer blow last weekend as they wasted an early two-goal cushion in a 4-3 defeat at runaway leaders Barcelona. Therefore, Carlo Ancelotti will likely bid farewell to the Bernabeu faithful as a runner-up unless his side miraculously overturns a seven-point deficit in the final three matchdays. Los Blancos will at least try to hold up their end of the bargain in their penultimate home match of the season by extending an eight-game winning streak against Mallorca in Madrid. A dramatic contest could be on the cards, not least because Real Madrid’s last five home league outings yielded a single-goal margin (W4, L1), including a goal-glutted 3-2 win against Celta Vigo a fortnight ago.

In the meantime, Mallorca fought back to beat an already-relegated Valladolid 2-1 at the weekend to halt a dismal three-game winless and scoreless streak in La Liga (D2, L1). In doing so, they have reignited their hopes of securing a coveted top-eight finish and, in turn, European football next season. However, the upcoming trip to Madrid could undermine that bid, with Mallorca conceding 13 goals across their last four away H2Hs (L4). Moreover, Jagoba Arrasate’s men have only won once on their past eight La Liga road trips against any opponent (D2, L5), derailing their hopes of posting a first win at the Bernabeu since 2009.