.jpg)
Analysis
Real Mallorca kicked off the 2012/13 Spanish Primera Division campaign rather well but gradually ran out of fuel. In their last three matches, they have known nothing but defeat. In other words, October has so far been a period of tribulations for Mallorca. On the very first day of this month, Mallorca lost 1-0 to Getafe. A week later, Granada condemned them to a 2-1 defeat before Sevilla edged a five-goal thriller last Monday.
Mallorca’s 2-0 triumph over Valencia in late September is now well in the past. Still, they are only two points off the European zone. An upset of Real Madrid would greatly boost their confidence.
Talking about Los Blancos, they encountered defeat away to Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League earlier on Wednesday. This leaves them with scores to settle on German soil in future. In the meantime, they have an eight-point gap to reduce. Currently, the champions of La Liga seat in fourth position. More or less surprisingly, their neighbours Atletico are the ones giving Barcelona a strong fight as the top of the table indicates:
| POS. | TEAM | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | D | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRIMERA DIVISIÓN 2012/2013 | ||||||||||
| 1 | Barcelona | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 11 | +13 | 22 | |
| 2 | Atlético Madrid | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 8 | +11 | 22 | |
| 3 | Málaga | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 5 | +8 | 17 | |
| 4 |  |
Real Madrid | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 14 |
| 5 | |
Sevilla | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 14 |
| 6 |  |
Real Betis | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 13 | -1 | 13 |
Head-to-head – Last five meetings
May 5, 2010: Real Mallorca 1-4 Real Madrid
August 29, 2010: Real Mallorca 0-0 Real Madrid
January 23, 2011: Real Madrid 1-0 Real Mallorca
January 14, 2012: Real Mallorca 1-2 Real Madrid
May 13, 2012: Real Madrid 4-1 Real Mallorca
Facts
• Real Mallorca and Real Madrid have both drawn twice in La Liga this season.
• Mallorca’s top scorer, Tomer Hemed (6), is only three strikes behind Cristiano Ronaldo (9) in the Pichichi race.
• No player in the top 10 has a bigger goal contribution rate than Tomer Hemed (60 per cent). Cristiano Ronaldo is second with 56 per cent of Real Madrid’s goals in his name.
Prediction
Real Madrid know they must react. Before kick-off, they may even found themselves 11 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona. Real Mallorca will need to be physical to contain Los Blancos. However, it is hard to imagine the visitors conceding their Spanish Primera Division crown so early. They will certainly bag all three points against Mallorca on Sunday.
Result: Real Mallorca 2-4 Real Madrid
