Carlos Ancelotti’s Los Blancos are set to start another campaign after their incredible UCL and La Liga winning run, last season. Spanish La Liga is set to commence on 15th August, with it a new season for the men in white to retain their league title. With Mbappe onboard, the management and fans will aim for nothing less than a recreation of the previous season’s triumphs. They will go to Estadi Mallorca Son Moix to face their first opponent Mallorca in match week 1.
After what happened last season, Real Madrid players will be more motivated than ever. There were some rumors of Ancelotti joining Brazil, however, he has decided to stay and take the Galacticos to what should be yet another great season. Also now that Kylian Mbappe has joined them finally, they will be tough to oppose from winning back-to-back league titles. Their biggest foe Barcelona has also assembled a strong team under the management of their new German Coach Hansi Flick. But as things stand, the Galacticos still outmatch them in terms of squad potential and strength, at least on paper.
Mallorca has been a regular competitor in the Spanish league for the last few years. They got promoted back to Laliga after staying absent for a few years and have since been a competitive club. They have been a mid-table team ever since their reemergence however in the last season they came down to 17th position and managed to evade another relegation by just 7 points. But to everyone’s surprise, they got to the final of Copa Del Rey and even stayed in the match till the last but sadly ended up losing in the Penalties.
Keep yours locked for the Real Madrid vs RCD Mallorca encounter set for La Liga match week one on August 19.
Real Madrid Team Preview
Real Madrid is such a club that even at their lowest their players would make wonders. However, the last season wasn’t a low by any means as they came out as the champions not only in Spain but also in Europe. They won their 15th UEFA Champions League title along with their 36th La Liga title and nearly missed their chance to win a treble which they would very much like to win this time, such are the ambitions of this club. This has turned into a regular doing of them ever since Don Carlo Ancelotti has come back to manage them again.
Carlo Ancelotti’s way of transitioning from a squad full of Real Madrid legends to new upcoming talents has been nothing short of incredible. This is now paying off for him as the new players have started to blend into the Los Blancos heritage and perfectly fill in the role players like Christian Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos used to fill once. Ancelotti’s counter-attacking play style is also one of the factors that separates Real Madrid from any other club in the world. Countless times have we seen Real Madrid coming back to a match from the backfoot and sweeping it away from the opponents. This season should also be no different as this method has been deemed successful for Ancelotti almost every time.
He might even utilize his full-back overlapping then counter-attacking technique now more than ever as Kylian Mbappbe has finally joined them. Yes, Mbappe joining RMA instead of any other club makes perfect sense because of not just his love for the club but also due to which environment he usually plays in. We all know French coach Deschamps likes to play his team in a counter-attacking style which has brought him a World Cup and almost a second one too. And the centerpiece of his strategy is as we know, Kylian Mbappe. So he should be able to fit into the Galacticos system right away and I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts scoring like he does once he becomes comfortable from his debut match.
While unmatched talents Kylian Mbappe and Endrick have joined, two of the most decorated and accomplished players in the club’s history have left them this season. One of which is Toni Kroos, without whom they would not have won the Champions League last season. Eduardo Camavinga will now have to give his best to fill in his shoes, which I know he should be able to do given his abilities. Los Blancos captain Nacho Fernandez has also left the club and joined Qatari club Al-Qadisiyah. David Alaba would generally play in his stead however he is still recovering from his injuries and is reported to miss out the whole of 2024.
This should worry Ancelotti a bit but they are already looking to sign a new center back and as of now Euro Winning defender Aymeric Laporte is the prime candidate on the list. Moreover, Joselu has also left the club for the Qatari side Al-Gharafa SC who showed some good performance for the club last season. Another one of last season’s top performers, perhaps the one that kept Real Madrid alive in the UEFA Champions League’s Playoffs, Andriy Lunin is also reportedly searching for another club now that Thibaut Courtois has recovered from his injury. Courtois would generally be Ancelotti’s first choice which has influenced Lunin to find a new home.
Predicted XI: Thibaut Courtois(GK), Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy, Aurélien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé.
Mallorca Team Preview
Mallorca had a great season in 22/23 and came in 9th in the standings however last season did not go so well for them. They ended up in 17th place and were just 7 points away from getting relegated. However, they surprised everyone by getting into the final of Copa Del Rey. They played toe toe-to-toe against the other finalists Athletic Club and only lost when the match went to the penalties. But this didn’t stop the club management from sacking Javier Aguirre. Instead, they have appointed the former Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate who is an experienced and capable manager by all means.
Arrasate had a great tenure in Osasuna and has brought several positive changes to the club. He helped the club achieve European Qualification after a long time and took them to Europa Conference League. The most important change he made to the club was instilling defensive stability and most likely would do the same in Mallorca. He is likely to assemble his team in such a way so they could play in his usual 4-2-3-1 formation. This means ensuring a firm defense would be his first priority and then he would focus on his midfield so that he can devise his usual counter-attacking moves.
This has already been evident in the signings he has made for this season till now. He has brought in two full backs Johan Mojica and Mateu Morey. Among them, Johan Mojica is a very capable player and most likely would make it to the starting 11 against Real Madrid in their first La Liga match. He has already transferred in Japanese forward Takuma Asano who also has very good potential and should make it to the starting line-up aside Sergi Darder. Predrag Rajkovic, their first-choice goalkeeper for the last season has left the club for a Saudi Arabian side. However, this shouldn’t worry Arrasate given the presence of Dominik Greif and Leo Roman in the squad.
Predicted XI: Roman(GK), Mojica, Raillo, Valjent, Maffeo, Mascarell, Samu Costa, Dani Rodriguez, Darder, Asano , Muriqi
Real Madrid vs Mallorca Betting Odds
Real Madrid 1.53 – 4.33 Draw – 6.00 Mallorca (Bet365)
Real Madrid vs Mallorca Head-to-Head Stats
Real Madrid and Mallorca have faced each other in 32 instances and Real Madrid has come out victorious in 22 of them. Mallorca has won against the Lo Blancos 8 times till now and the other two matches have ended in draws.
In the last five encounters, Real Madrid has won in four and Mallorca has managed to win only once by 1-0, which was in the 22/23 season. Mallorca’s biggest win against Real Madrid came way back in 2009 when they beat them by 3 to 1.
Real Madrid vs Mallorca Betting Tips and Predictions
Real Madrid are easy favorites against RCD Mallorca and there should be no doubt about it. With Kylian Mbappe onboard, and all players of the squad fully fit without only the instance of David Alaba, they should be able to comfortably beat Mallorca. Even though the match will take place in Mallorca’s turf where they are known to have good home support. Also, Arrasate will be making his defense line as firm as he can given his track record.
Real Madrid would still likely start scoring early and I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns it into a multiple-goal-scoring match.