Mallorca vs Real Madrid preview, prediction, team news and head-to-head

• Over 3.5 goals

• Both teams to score

• Real Madrid to win

• Mbappe to score anytime

When Mallorca finished 10th in La Liga last season, few would have thought they would struggle this term. However, it has been a tough campaign for the Pirates, whose 28 points from 29 matches leave them down in 18th spot in the division.

Martin Demichelis' side recorded a huge 2-1 win over Espanyol on March 15, but the tide turned against them when they met fellow strugglers Elche last time out, being on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline.

Mallorca are only one point behind 17th-placed Elche and just three from Sevilla in 15th, though, so it is not time to hit the panic button.

Under a different kind of pressure are Real Madrid, who entered the March international break off the back of a 3-2 success over Atletico Madrid.

The result keeps them in the La Liga title race, sitting second, four points behind the leaders Barcelona, who will tackle Atletico in a fascinating clash on Saturday night.

Los Blancos will be looking for a favour from their capital rivals, and Alvaro Arbeloa's side come into this match on the back of a five-game winning run, including two successes over Manchester City in the Champions League to reach the final eight of the competition.

Mallorca have only managed to win one of their last 11 matches against Real Madrid, but it was 1-1 when the two teams locked horns for the corresponding game during the 2024-25 campaign.

The contest earlier this season at the Bernabeu was also tight, with the hosts coming from behind to record a 2-1 win.

Madrid have won 8 of the last 11 meetings and are in title contention. Mallorca have lost 15 matches this season and conceded 47 goals, while Madrid have the league’s top scorer and a +37 goal difference.

Mallorca La Liga form: 🟥🟥🟥🟧🟩🟥

Real Madrid La Liga form: 🟩🟥🟥🟩🟩🟩

Real Madrid form (all competitions): 🟥🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Mallorca will welcome Jan Virgili and Johan Mojica back into their starting side on Saturday, with the pair available again after missing the clash with Elche last time out through suspension.

Jan Salas (knee) and Lucas Bergstrom (muscle) will again be absent for the hosts, though, while Takuma Asano (hamstring) and Marash Kumbulla (muscle) face late fitness tests.

Vedat Muriqi has been in excellent form this campaign, finding the back of the net on 18 occasions in Spain's top flight, and he will continue in the final third of the field.

As for Real Madrid, Federico Valverde (suspended), Dani Ceballos (calf), Rodrygo (knee) and Thibaut Courtois (thigh) are unavailable for selection this weekend.

Ferland Mendy (hamstring), Raul Asencio (muscle), Eder Militao (hamstring) and Vinicius Junior (thigh) may also be absent for the capital giants on Saturday.

Vinicius has been carrying a thigh problem during the international break, and it is believed that the attacker will start on the bench against Mallorca.

The match may also come too soon for Jude Bellingham, who has only just returned from injury, so expect the England international to also be among the substitutes for the first whistle.

As a result, there could be starts for Thiago Pitarch, Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Diaz.

Mallorca: Roman; Maffeo, Raillo, Valjent, Mojica; Costa, Mascarell; Joseph, Torre, Virgili; Muriqi

Real Madrid: Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras; Pitarch, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Guler; Diaz, Mbappe

With Real Madrid’s firepower and dominant recent record, the pressure is firmly on Mallorca to pull off a shock. The gulf in class is clear in the stats: Madrid average more than two goals per game and concede less than one, while Mallorca have struggled at both ends.

Los Blancos also simply have to win, so we are backing the visitors to get the job done to close in on leaders Barcelona.

Correct score prediction: Mallorca 1-3 Real Madrid