Real Madrid vs Mallorca prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-01-02 18:15.
Real Madrid ended 2023 on top of La Liga (LL) and more good news followed during the winter break as manager Carlo Ancelotti signed a contract extension that keeps him at the Santiago BernabĂ©u until 2026. With Dani Carvajal, Arda GĂĽler and VinĂcius JĂşnior also back in training, they seek to start the new year by extending their 17-game unbeaten run in all competitions that stretches back to late September (W14, D3).
Talking of long runs, Los Blancos have won each of the last seven home H2Hs with Mallorca, scoring at least four goals in four of the last five of those victories, so on paper, this seems a gentle way to ease into 2024. As they’re unbeaten in LL home games this term (W7, D1) and have scored 11 goals across their last three (W3), they’ll certainly start as odds-on favourites.
Yet Mallorca won’t simply roll over as they beat Real Madrid – albeit on their own patch – in February and a current five-match LL unbeaten run (W2, D3) ensured they enjoyed the festive period with a healthy advantage over the bottom-three. That was guaranteed after they closed 2023 with arguably one of their performances of the calendar year, coming from behind to beat Osasuna 3-2.
Scoring three times while key man Vedat Muriqi remains on the sidelines was important for the Pirates, but even their most optimistic fans might not be expecting too much here as they’ve won just one of their last 13 LL away games (D3, L9), and haven’t scored in any of the last four (D1, L3). More capital punishment could come their way as they haven’t won any of their last five league trips to play Madrid-based sides (D1, L4)!
Players to watch: Rodrygo has scored six times across Real’s last six league fixtures, with four of those goals coming after half-time, as did his strike in this fixture last term. Meanwhile, four of Dani RodrĂguez’s last six goals for Mallorca came between the 40th and 50th minute.
Hot stat: Mallorca conceded in the 64th or 65th minute in three of their last four league road fixtures.