Real Madrid – Mallorca

Real won’t defeat an unpleasant opponent

On Thursday, 9 January, Real Madrid will play Mallorca in the second semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup. The odds on Madrid have already dropped to 1.43, but there could still be intrigue in this match. Mallorca are sixth in La Liga. Real had a scandalous encounter with Valencia. Firstly, left a lot of strength, although he won, and secondly, he risks losing Vinicius for a long time. The Brazilian received a red card, and now he can also miss a few matches. Everything depends on the decision of the disciplinary committee. Real passed their opponent in the King's Cup with a large margin. Carlo Ancelotti predictably used the reserves, and the main stars were released to stretch in the end. Real defeated Deportivo Minera 5-0. The question with Vinicius is still open. Alaba, Militao and Carvajal will definitely not play against Mallorca. Fortunately, there were no new injuries in the Cup. Mallorca are an underrated Super Cup participant. "The Islanders will definitely not be an easy opponent. The team suffered an upset defeat in the King's Cup, losing to Pontevedra, but one game does not reflect the overall dynamics. In particular, there were two consecutive wins before that. Mallorca have managed to establish themselves in the top six in La Liga. So far, the club has claimed its best finish since 2001. The previous time the mid-table side was so high was when Samuel Eto'o was still playing for Mallorca. Surprisingly, sixth place manages to be occupied with a negative goal difference. The strange fact is explained by a very weak game in attack and a strong defence. The team scores an average of one goal per match - a nightmarish figure for a club from the leading group. At the same time, there are some positives in attack. Canadian Kyle Larin is performing much better this season. The dimensional forward has already scored seven times. Interestingly, Mallorca are not as sad as they are in terms of scoring chances. The team is still five goals short of the advanced statistic. The Islanders have one serious loss: Samu Costa, the main supporting midfielder, will miss the tournament. Real have played Mallorca very hard since 2023: three minimal wins and a draw, no easy encounters. A similar scenario is likely now. Mallorca will close down the whole team in their own half of the pitch and look for chances at the expense of the dimensional strikers. Real Madrid's defence is not doing well, and the potential absence of Vinicius is a serious blow to their attacking potential. This is looking to be a tough encounter. The teams are unlikely to score much, given the history of head-to-head encounters, and Real Madrid need to save their energy for the final.