Real Madrid will look to continue their perfect start to the 2025-26 La Liga season when they host Mallorca at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday night.
Los Blancos have opened the campaign with back-to-back wins, beating Osasuna and Real Oviedo to collect six points and sit third in the table. Mallorca, in contrast, have endured a slower start, sitting 16th with just a single point from their first two outings.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side were far from their fluent best against Osasuna on the opening weekend, but a moment of brilliance from Kylian Mbappé was enough to secure the win.
Their second fixture against Real Oviedo followed a similar script until Mbappé struck twice and Vinícius Júnior added a late third to wrap up a comfortable 3-0 victory. With Villarreal, Barcelona, Getafe, and Athletic Bilbao also holding perfect records, Madrid know they cannot afford early slip-ups in the title race. The battle with Barcelona, in particular, already looks set to be a season-long fight for supremacy.
History is firmly on Real Madrid’s side heading into this clash. They have beaten Mallorca 46 times in 75 previous meetings and completed a league double over them last season, including a 2-1 victory at the Bernabéu. The home fans will expect more of the same, especially before the international break.
Mallorca, however, will be determined to cause an upset. Their season began in disastrous fashion with a 3-0 defeat to Barcelona, where they finished the first half with nine men following two red cards. They did respond with a battling 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo, salvaged by an 87th-minute strike from Mateu Morey, but the Pirates know they need to sharpen up quickly.
Last season, Mallorca narrowly missed out on European qualification, finishing 10th just four points adrift of the top seven. Head coach Jagoba Arrasate has the tools to push for a higher finish, but results against Spain’s giants will be crucial in setting the tone.
The challenge at the Bernabéu is immense, though, as Mallorca have not beaten Madrid away in La Liga since May 2009. Their most recent victory over Los Blancos came back in February 2023 but repeating that feat on Saturday would be one of their biggest results in years.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Real Madrid will once again be without Jude Bellingham, Endrick, Ferland Mendy, and Eduardo Camavinga for their final fixture before the September international break, although Xabi Alonso has no new injury issues to contend with.
That stability could see him stick with much of the same lineup that started against Real Oviedo. However, a tweak in attack is expected, with Vinícius Júnior likely to replace Rodrygo in the front line. Dani Carvajal looks set to continue at right-back ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, while Antonio Rüdiger is pushing to retain his place alongside Dean Huijsen in central defense, keeping Eder Militão on the bench.
For Mallorca, there is good news as Vedat Muriqi and Manu Morlanes return from suspension and are both in line to start at the Bernabéu. New summer signing Pablo Torre, who arrived from Barcelona, is expected to take up the playmaker role in the No. 10 position. Meanwhile, Sergi Darder should keep his place in the middle of the park, and Toni Lato may once again be deployed slightly higher up in midfield.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni, Guler; Mastantuono, Mbappe, Vinicius
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Roman; Kumbulla, Raillo, Valjent; Morlanes, Darder, Lato, Mojica; Torre; Muriqi, Asano
EXPERT PREDICTION
Real Madrid 2-0 Mallorca
