By the time Real Madrid take to the pitch again, when they host Mallorca for a La Liga fixture in midweek, it’ll have been about two weeks since they last played. You can call it a holiday/festive/Christmas break, you might say.
Over that vacation time, forward Vinicius Jr. has fully healed from his hamstring injury. He’s now fully match fit, but don’t expect to see him play major minutes against Mallorca.
Real Madrid vs Mallorca FYIs
Kickoff: Wed. Jan. 3, 2024, 9:15 pm, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
La Liga Standings: Real Madrid 1st, 45 pts Mallorca 14th, 18 pts
La Liga Form: Real Madrid WWDWW Mallorca WDWDD
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid 78% Draw 15% Mallorca 7%
It is highly unlikely that Carlo Ancelotti starts him in midweek. Instead he may get a cameo off the bench here. The Madrid forwards have been excellent lately, and Los Blancos are now back on top of the table, albeit only on goal difference, having that advantage over Girona.
Mallorca has no easy out though, as they are currently undefeated in their last six across all competitions.
Real Madrid Starting XI Prediction vs Mallorca
Kepa Arrizabalaga; Lucas Vazquez, Nacho, Antonio Rudiger, Fran Garcia; Federico Valverde, Luka Modric; Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo, Joselu Sato, Brahmin Diaz
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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