Atletico Madrid look to extend their winning run across all competitions to three in a row as they face off against Mallorca in La Liga action on Sunday afternoon. Third-placed Atletico sit one point behind table-toppers Real Madrid, while Mallorca sit in eighth with 18 points from the opening 12 matches.
Match Preview: Mallorca vs. Atletico Madrid
Mallorca have been hard to break down this season, with five wins, three draws, and four losses in La Liga. They had a good start to the season, but their offense has been very limited, netting only 10 goals across 12 games-the third-lowest tally in the league-so far. Defensively they are solid, conceding just nine goals. Thus, this fixture will be a clash between two of the best defenses in the league.
Mallorca have won only once in their last four league matches, losing to Alaves 1-0 in a narrow defeat. They’ve lost only once at home so far and have recorded draws like the one 1-1 against Real Madrid, though they have lost their last three league games to Atletico. The last meeting between these sides ended 1-0 to Atletico, but the visitors boast of successive three wins over the Madrid visitors within December 2021 and November 2022.
On the other hand, Atletico Madrid comes into this with big form from a 2-1 Champions League win in Paris against PSG; they have also won the last three, further including a Copa del Rey victory against Vic and a La Liga win against Las Palmas. They are sitting third, having picked up 23 points from six wins, five draws, and just one defeat, a point behind Real Madrid.
While solid defensively, Atletico has struggled for goals, netting only 18 times in 12 games. Yet, with the league’s strongest defense, this clash pits Spain’s top defensive teams against each other. Simeone’s squad will be looking to nail a top-three position as they seek an improvement from last season’s fourth-place finish.
Team News
Mallorca:
The home team will be missing Valery Fernandez, Ivan Cuellar and Takuma Asano for this encounter. Samu Costa back from suspension and should feature. Vedat Muriqi, Sergi Darder, Johan Mojica and Dominik Greif ought to be rotated into the lineup, meanwhile Cyle Larin probably will retain his place up front.
Atletico Madrid:
For Atletico, Thomas Lemar, Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand, and Cesar Azpilicueta remain out of this one. Alexander Sorloth has not had the best time since his transfer in from Villarreal and could start on the bench once again as Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann are expected to lead the attack. Rodrigo Riquelme and Koke could come into the starting XI too as Simeone considers rotation following their Champions League outing.
Predicted Lineups
Mallorca Predicted Starting XI:
Greif; Maffeo, Valjent, Raillo, Mojica; Navarro, Morlanes, Costa, Darder; Muriqi, Larin
Atletico Madrid Predicted Starting XI:
Oblak; Molina, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Riquelme, De Paul, Koke, Gallagher; Alvarez, Griezmann
Prediction: Mallorca vs. Atletico Madrid
Considering that both teams have the best defenses in La Liga, the match will probably be tight and low-scoring, ending in a 1-1 draw, a result that will not go against either team.
Prediction: Mallorca 1-1 Atletico Madrid
