Real Mallorca v Real Madrid
Kick Off: Wednesday, May 5, 2010. 21:00 BST
ONO Estadi, Mallorca
Live Coverage: Sky Sports 4 (UK only)
Closing In On The Elite
There will be intense pressure on Mallorca and Real Madrid when Round 36 of the Primera Division concludes on the Balearic Island on Wednesday evening. Both sides have lofty ambitions for the conclusion of this season, and the fact that their main rivals, Sevilla and Barcelona respectively, face off on Saturday simply adds fuel to this fire.
Los Barralets have enjoyed a quite simply stunning campaign. Tipped by many pundits to be battling relegation at this stage of the season, they are flying high in the Champions League spots, largely off the back of a superb home record, which has seen them win 14 of their 17 previous fixtures at the ONO Estadi.
Heartening for coach Gregorio Manzano is the fact his side seem to be slowly getting things right on the road too. Now unbeaten in six, the Islanders are enjoying their best spell of the term, though they approach this fixture against los Blancos seeking only their third back-to-back win of the campaign.
A terrific 3-1 win at the intimidating home of Athletic Bilbao, San Mames, where even Real slipped earlier this season, has been seen as a big result by Manzano. “It’s a major step towards the Champions League but it’s not over and we must maintain the same enthusiasm and ambition,” the coach beamed.
Tests simply don’t get much bigger than facing a hungry Blancos side, and even playing at home will give Mallorca little assurance.
Still In The Hunt
There were more than a few nervous glances at watches at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday evening as Real Madrid snatched a priceless three points from Osasuna late on. Having fallen behind twice against the Pamplona outfit, los Blancos twice battled back, and having ridden their luck at 2-2, snatched a winning goal thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo header.
Victory sent out at message to Barcelona: Real Madrid are in the title race for the duration. Winning ugly is said to be the sign of champions, though coach Manuel Pellegrini was deeply upset by his side’s defending against los Rojillos.
“Osasuna made us suffer a lot. It was the worst game of the year for us defensively, but we merited the win with the three goals we have scored,” the coach said after the fixture.
Goal scoring hero Ronaldo, who bagged a brace, refused to solely blame the defence, stating to Marca: “In my opinion, the entire team was very bad. I speak of the forwards, midfielders and the back line.
“We have to understand that we are fighting for La Liga and we need to be more focused. This cannot happen again because on another occasion we will not be able to come back.
“If you give up points at this stage in the season, you lose the title.”
Against a Mallorca side astute at home, los Merengues will need to significantly raise their level to keep pace with Barcelona.
Form Guide
Mallorca
WON 3-1 (a) Athletic Bilbao (Liga, May 2)
DREW 1-1 (h) Malaga (Liga, April 25)
WON 2-0 (h) Osasuna (Liga, April 19)
DREW 1-1 (a) Zaragoza (Liga, April 14)
WON 3-2 (h) Valencia (Liga, April 11)
Real Madrid
WON 3-2 (h) Osasuna (Liga, May 2)
WON 2-1 (a) Zaragoza (Liga, April 24)
WON 2-0 (h) Valencia (Liga, April 18)
WON 2-1 (a) Almeria (Liga, April 15)
LOST 2-0 (h) Barcelona (Liga, April 10)
Team News
Mallorca
Gregorio Manzano doesn’t have any chronic injury problems to cope with ahead of the fixture on Wednesday. He will be without Tuni once again, while Ivan Ramis is still sidelined by injury. There have been no reports of other issues since the weekend’s trip to Bilbao.
Probable Starting XI: Aouate; Josemi, Ruben, Nunes, Ayoze; Valera, Marti, Castro; Valero; Victor, Aduriz
Real Madrid
Los Blancos have a few headaches on the selection front, with Raul, Rafael van der Vaart and Pepe all representing familiar problems for coach Manuel Pellegrini. Additionally, the Chilean may have to do without Lassana Diarra and Guti, both of whom are carrying knocks in the lead up to this encounter.
Probable Starting XI: Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo; Gago, Alonso, Granero; Kaka; Higuain, Ronaldo
Players to Watch
Mallorca
Thoroughly outplayed by Real Madrid in the Bernabeu earlier this season en route to a 2-0 loss, Mallorca will need to enjoy more possession in the centre of the park if they are to enjoy a better result on Wednesday, and Marti will have a big say if such a task is to be accomplished. The veteran midfielder can read a game superbly, and if he can set a platform for his side then they have a chance.
Real Madrid
Whenever the chips have been down for los Blancos this season, Cristiano Ronaldo has always come good with an answer. His headed winner on Sunday was absolutely vital in maintaining their status in the title race, and there have been countless other occasions this term in which the world’s most expensive players has seemingly won matches single-handedly. Wednesday’s encounter promises to be exceptionally tough, so ‘CR9’ will have to be at his peak once more.
Prediction
Though Mallorca do boast an incredibly strong home record, there have been signs lately that the ONO Estadi is not the fortress it was at the beginning of the season. If Malaga could come within a few seconds of pinching all three points at the venue, a title-hungry Real Madrid should certainly fancy their chances, though their hosts’ focus will only have doubled from their previous home game. If los Blancos are to slip before the end of the season, this is where it will happen.
Mallorca 1-2 Real Madrid
from Goal.com