Real Madrid will look to kick off 2024 with a win when they welcome Mallorca to the Santiago Bernabeu for Wednesday's La Liga contest.
Los Blancos currently sit top of the table alongside surprise package Girona, while the visitors start the new year in 14th position.
Match preview
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Despite having to contend with a number of injuries, Real Madrid are targeting a 36th La Liga title after winning 14, drawing three and losing just one of their 18 league matches this season.
Those results as well as their perfect record in the Champions League group stage led to Carlo Ancelotti being rewarded with a contract extension, which will keep him at the club until June 2026 and quash the rumours linking him with the Brazil manager's position.
In Real Madrid's final game of 2023 against Alaves, Ancelotti watched his team show great character to cope with Nacho's red card and snatch all three points courtesy of Lucas Vazquez's stoppage-time header.
Not only did the narrow win help extend their unbeaten run to 17 matches in all competitions (W14, D3), but they also kept their ninth clean sheet of the La Liga season, which is one more than any other side in the division.
After negotiating a tricky away fixture prior to the short break, Los Blancos will get the new year up and running at the Santiago Bernabeu, where they have won 10 of their 11 competitive games this season, including their last five home outings.
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Mallorca will hope to pick up from where they left off in 2023 after finishing the calendar year with a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W3, D3).
Javier Aguirre's side began that undefeated streak with draws against Cadiz and Alaves, before they eased past fourth-tier Valle Agues in the second round of the Copa del Rey.
They went to edge out Sevilla to claim their first league win since September, before rounding off the year with a draw against Almeria and an entertaining 3-2 victory over Osasuna thanks to goals from Matija Nastasic, Dani Rodriguez and Antonio Raillo.
As a result of their recent resurgence, Mallorca have put five points between themselves and the drop zone, boosting their hopes of extending their top-flight stay into a fourth season.
Mallorca will have fond memories of their 1-0 home win over Real Madrid in February, but it will be a tough ask to replicate such a result on Wednesday due to the fact that they have lost each of their previous seven away matches against Los Blancos since recording a 3-1 win in May 2009.
Team News
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Real Madrid remain without the injured trio of Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba and Eder Militao, while the game will also come too soon for Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga.
While Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior are set to return to the squad after recovering from their respective injury issues, the latter may have to settle for a place among the substitutes, with Ancelotti likely to adopt a cautious approach with the Brazilian.
Arda Guler has seen the opening six months of his Real Madrid career affected by injury, but there is a chance that he could feature on the bench, as he looks to make his long-awaited debut.
With Nacho set to serve a one-match ban, Ancelotti is expected to use Aurelien Tchouameni as a makeshift centre-back alongside Antonio Rudiger.
As for Mallorca, they are still unable to call upon the services of defender Martin Valjent and forward Vedat Muriqi.
With Jaume Costa set to serve a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation, Toni Lato could come into the side after recovering from an injury that has kept him out of the last two matches.
Former Real Madrid player Omar Mascarell missed the win over Osasuna through injury, but he could return in time to feature in the Mallorca midfield.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Tchouameni, Garcia; Kroos, Valverde, Modric, Bellingham; Diaz, Rodrygo
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Gonzalez, Nastasic, Raillo; Maffeo, S. Costa, Mascarell, Lato; Sanchez, Rodriguez; Larin
We say: Real Madrid 3-1 Mallorca
Mallorca may have proven to be a tough team to beat in recent times, but we think that they will struggle to extend their unbeaten run beyond Wednesday's contest.
Real Madrid tend to save their best performances for the Santiago Bernabeu, and we believe that they will showcase the quality at their disposal to claim a relatively comfortable home victory in their first outing of 2024.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
