Real Madrid vs Mallorca
Real Madrid are the only side who has a 100-per cent record in the 2022-23 La Liga season and they’re hoping to keep it that way when they host Mallorca this weekend at the Bernabeu.
Los Blancos have breezed through their first four opponents and the only thing you could nitpick is that they haven’t secured a clean sheet. Still, they’re getting the job done and they remain the team to beat this season.
Mallorca, on the other hand, are sitting 11th in the Spanish top-flight standings. They’re aiming to do much better than last season where they had one foot in the relegation zone.
Continue to read on below for the SBOTOP preview of this matchup.
Talking Points
Real Madrid suffer major injury blow
Karim Benzema may be aging like fine wine, but it’s clear that Real Madrid cannot be over-dependent on him if they are to maintain their run of positive La Liga 2022 results.
The 34-year-old is set to be sidelined for four weeks as he picked up a quad injury during their Champions League group stage match against Celtic. Without the Frenchman, Los Blancos will need Vinicius Junior, Marco Asensio, and Rodrygo to carry the offencive load.
The three of them can pick up the slack, which just goes to show how deep Real Madrid are, and they have another x-factor in the form of Eden Hazard.
Against Celtic yesterday, Hazard turned back the hands of time with a vintage performance – recording a goal and an assist – and they’re going to need more of those from him. The former Chelsea star always had the capability to take over games, it’s just that he was never fully healthy during his stay so far at the Bernabeu.
Other than their forwards, Real Madrid are going to need continuous production from the midfield too and they have the quality to show for it.
Despite losing Casemiro to Manchester United this summer transfer window, they’re still stacked with Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde, and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Even with Benzema sidelined, Los Blancos are shaping up still as the favourite to win La Liga, although their quest to win back-to-back just got a bit trickier.
Decent start for Mallorca
Javier Aguirre has done it again as he saved Mallorca from relegation few months ago and he’ll be tasked to take this team to new heights this term.
In their first four matches this season, Mallorca have tallied one win, two losses, and one draw – good for five points and four above the relegation zone.
It’s a good start for Los Bermellones and the encouraging part is that they’ve been scoring goals at a healthy rate. Leading the way in that category is their front duo of Vedat Muriqi and Lee Kang-In.
Against Real Madrid, Mallorca are expected to drop deep with their 5-3-2 formation and they’re going to be in for a long night defencively. But if they can somehow get a point against the reigning champs, that is considered a huge win for them.
History
Mallorca have lost 10 of their last 12 meetings with Real Madrid in La Liga (W1, D1). Their last win dates back to October 2019 where they won 1-0 at their home pitch, courtesy of Lago Junior.
These two teams last met in March where Real Madrid earned a comprehensive 3-0 victory as Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema (twice) found the back of the net in the second half.
The said result meant that Mallorca suffered five consecutive defeats for the first time in top-flight since November 2012 where they were still coached by Joaquin Caparros, who, at the time, lost six straight.
Los Bermellones went on to lose two more matches against Espanyol and Getafe before pulling off a huge upset against Atletico Madrid.
Betting Tip
It’s no surprise that the La Liga 2022 odds are batting for Real Madrid. They are priced at 1.25 to win, while Mallorca are the underdogs at 9.50 and chances for a draw are pegged at 5.20 in the 1X2 market.
Mallorca may be unbeaten in their last two games, but those were against sides who are at the lower half of the table and Real Madrid are definitely not one of them.
Over 3.00 @ 1.76 is another bet to think about given that Los Blancos have feasted on Los Bermellones. We sense that Real Madrid are going to get their first clean sheet of this season as well.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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