Real Madrid head into their meeting with Mallorca on Wednesday evening knowing that three points will be enough to retain their spot at the top of the La Liga standings.
Meanwhile, Mallorca make the trip to the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium having dropped into the relegation zone, courtesy of just one point being recorded since the resumption.
Match preview
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During the enforced three-month break, Zinedine Zidane would have been frustrated that his side had suffered defeats in two of their most recent three outings in La Liga.
However, courtesy of Barcelona's draw at Sevilla on Friday, that will now be forgotten with Los Blancos now ahead of their fierce rivals due to their head-to-head record.
Real were not particularly convincing during their 2-1 victory at Real Sociedad on Sunday evening, but the result has maintained the momentum which they have generated since returning to action.
Eight goals have been scored from three games, and Zidane will naturally expect more of the same when taking on one of the division's poorest teams.
Nevertheless, ahead of a match where he will likely make a number of alterations, Zidane must ensure that any player being introduced into the team is capable of hitting the ground running at an important period of the season.
From Mallorca's perspective, the clash with Real represents their third encounter with a team in the top seven in the space of four matches.
With trips to Atletico Madrid and Sevilla also to come before the middle of July, Vicente Moreno faces an uphill task to keep Los Bermellones in the top flight.
The missed opportunity against Leganes on Friday evening has the potential to linger within the group after their relegation rivals netted an equaliser in the 87th minute.
As well as three points separating Mallorca to 17th-placed Eibar, they also possess an inferior goal difference, something which will naturally play on Moreno's mind ahead of an intimidating trip to the leaders.
Real Madrid La Liga form: LWLWWW
Real Madrid form (all competitions): LWLWWW
Mallorca La Liga form: DLWLLD
Team News
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Having remained as an unused substitute against Sociedad, Eden Hazard is expected to be provided with a recall to the starting lineup.
The Belgian could feature alongside Karim Benzema and Rodrygo, who may take the place of Vinicius Junior on the left.
Luka Modric is in contention for a start in midfield due to the suspension of Casemiro, while Sergio Ramos is a major doubt with a knee injury.
Takefusa Kubo, on loan from Real, will be able to face his parent club and should line up on the right-hand side of midfield.
Xisco Campos could come into the side in place of Dani Rodriguez, while top goalscorer Ante Budimir is expected to lead the line despite having failed to net since the resumption.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Militao, Marcelo; Kroos, Valverde, Modric; Rodrygo, Benzema, Hazard
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Reina; Pozo, Valjent, Sedlar, Gamez; Baba, Campos, Sevilla; Kubo, Hernandez, Budimir
We say: Real Madrid 4-0 Mallorca
While Zidane is likely to make changes to his starting lineup, that should not hinder their chances in this contest. On paper, this is the perfect fixture for Real at this stage of the campaign, and we expect them to take full advantage.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Real Madrid win with a probability of 73.53%. A draw had a probability of 16.7% and a win for Mallorca had a probability of 9.82%.
The most likely scoreline for a Real Madrid win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.77%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (10.91%) and 3-0 (9.96%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (7.92%), while for a Mallorca win it was 0-1 (3.39%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 12.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 2-0 win for Real Madrid in this match.
