Mallorca vs Atletico Madrid
Estadi Mallorca Son Moix is the venue as Mallorca and Atletico Madrid go head-to-head in a potentially cagey La Liga fixture.
Back-to-back scoreless outings against Athletic Bilbao (0-0) and Deportivo Alaves (0-1) have taken the wind out of Mallorca’s sails following an impressive La Liga start under new manager Jagoba Arrasate (W5, D2, L3). However, the hosts could enter November’s international break in the European qualification zone with a win against Atletico Madrid, a feat they last achieved in April 2022 at this venue. They have since lost four consecutive top-flight H2Hs by a combined score of 6-1, highlighting the magnitude of the task awaiting them this week. Connoisseurs of action-packed football may want to skip this fixture, considering four of the last five La Liga meetings between Mallorca and Atletico have yielded an identical 1-0 scoreline, underscoring the potential for a low-scoring contest.
On the opposite note, Atletico Madrid overhauled an early deficit in a gutsy 2-1 UEFA Champions League win at Paris Saint-Germain during midweek, extending their winning streak in all competitions to three matches. While that’s morale-boosting, Diego Simeone’s men cannot afford to rest on their laurels after falling ten points behind La Liga pacesetters Barcelona. Despite only losing once in the opening 12 rounds, six draws (W5, L1) have curtailed Atletico’s title chances, with three coming across six La Liga travels (W2, L1). Their last five away league games have featured under 2.5 goals, suggesting another uneventful clash against Mallorca could be in store. Adding to this sentiment, Atletico failed to score more than once on each occasion.