Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca

Estadio Metropolitano hosts a lopsided La Liga showdown between high-flying Atletico Madrid and out-of-sorts Mallorca.

Atletico Madrid’s pursuit of their first La Liga title since 2020/21 is back on track after a shock 2-1 defeat to promoted Las Palmas, the only blip in their last 11 competitive outings (W9, D1). Diego Simeone’s free-scoring side bounced back from an early deficit to topple Villarreal 3-1 at home before the international break, moving within a six-point distance of table-topping Granada, albeit with a game in hand on all sides above them in the standings. ‘Los Colchoneros’ ought to take the field in high spirits after winning their last 17 competitive outings at the Metropolitano Stadium in a run stretching back to February! However, there’s no room for complacency as they’ve unexpectedly lost three of their last four La Liga meetings with Mallorca (W1).

Mallorca’s recent superiority in this fixture is perhaps the only positive they can draw ahead of the kick-off after going winless in their last seven league matches (D4, L3). The most recent of those clashes was a disheartening 2-0 loss to Real Betis that condemned them to a third consecutive scoring blank in La Liga, leaving manager Javier Aguirre in jeopardy. With Mallorca flirting with the relegation territory, only two points clear of 18th-placed Celta Vigo, the Mexican risks falling under more scrutiny unless ‘Los Piratas’ end a woeful four-game winless league run on the road (D1, L3). That’s a bit stretched, knowing they conceded 2+ goals in three of those four matches. But if it’s any consolation, they’ve held Atletico winless in three of their last five top-flight H2Hs in Madrid (W1, D2, L2).