Will the Whites defend their lead at the top of the table?

In the new year, the first half of the season is coming to an end in Spain. The answer to the question of who will be in first place after 19 of 38 match days is still open. This question will be answered on Wednesday evening, when the top three will be in action. If the tip on the favored home side is correct for the match between Real Madrid and Mallorca at 7:15 p.m., the Ancelotti team will secure the title of “first round champions.”

If Jude Bellingham and his team stumble surprisingly, the focus will be on the top match at 21:15. However, this is highly unlikely to happen, as the prediction for a home win in the match between Real Madrid and Mallorca provides maximum odds of 1.24. This illustrates the clear starting situation in this duel.

For good odds in this duel, the alternative betting markets must be taken into consideration. On closer inspection, however, we have found some exciting tips. We will take a closer look at the arguments for our betting selection in the following lines:

Real Madrid – statistics & current form

Real Madrid suffered eight defeats last season and missed out on their 36th championship in the club’s history. After the departure of long-time top goalscorer Karim Benzema and the failure to land a new number nine, some fans were sceptical about the 2023/24 season. Wrongly so, as the verdict at the turn of the year was very positive. In addition, Carlo Ancelotti recently extended his contract and, contrary to many rumors, will not be taking over the Brazilian national team after this season

Real Madrid a home power

45 points from 18 games means a total of just nine points lost. The last time the Whites had a better points haul was in the 2011/12 season (46 points). The defense has been outstanding, conceding a meager eleven goals so far. That was by no means to be expected, as the injury bug has struck hard in Madrid. Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao suffered serious injuries at the start of the season and a few days ago, David Alaba became the third defensive player to be condemned to the sidelines with a cruciate ligament rupture.

After captain Nacho Fernandez was sent off in the last game against Deportivo Alaves, Antonio Rüdiger is the only remaining trained central defender for the game against Mallorca. Aurelien Tchouameni will probably move from the number six position to the back. Despite the absentees (Vinicius Junior is also missing), the Madrid squad has more than enough quality to offer. Real can also always rely on Jude Bellingham, who is the top scorer in LaLiga 2023/24 with 13 goals this season as a midfielder.

Real Madrid don’t usually let things get out of hand, especially in home games. The goalless draw in the city derby against Rayo Vallecano was the only point loss in the current season. The remaining seven games were all won, and the goal difference of 21:4 speaks volumes. Not only the bet on a home win is obvious, with these statistics the prediction on a home win without conceding a goal can be made despite the defensive failures in the duel Real Madrid vs.

Predicted Real Madrid line-up:

Mallorca – Statistics & current form

Whatever the outcome of the game at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Wednesday evening, those in charge on Germany’s favorite island will not be satisfied with the way the season has gone so far. After a good ninth place in the table last season, Aguirre’s side are currently falling short of expectations. At least there is a small upward trend to be seen, as RCD Mallorca’s performance improved significantly at the start of the Advent season. The team have collected eight points from their last four league games and have not conceded a single defeat

Mallorca’s focus is on defense

The trust in the Mexican head coach has apparently paid off. After just ten points from the first 14 league games, the team has managed to gain a little breathing space in the relegation battle. However, a closer look at the results reveals an extremely high number of point splits. No fewer than nine of the 18 league games ended in a draw, a figure currently only surpassed by Real Betis Sevilla (ten draws).

Neutral soccer fans will not be blown away by the Mallorcan team. There is no modern attacking soccer with high counter-pressing, instead the emphasis is on a defensive approach. This ensures that very few goals are scored. 17 goals in 18 games means less than one goal per game. On the other hand, 22 goals conceded is an outstanding figure for a relegation candidate. On average, this results in only 2.17 goals per game. At the same time, just five league games ended with a score of over 2.5.

The attacking qualities of the Whites are well known, but due to Mallorca’s destructive style of play, a prediction of few goals in Real Madrid v Mallorca is definitely worth considering. Especially as the bookmakers are offering decent odds of under 3.5.

Predicted Mallorca line-up:

Real Madrid – Mallorca head-to-head comparison / H2H result

It is no surprise that the direct comparison in this duel speaks a clear language in favor of the royals from Madrid. There have been 62 duels in the Spanish top flight so far, of which the Whites have won no fewer than 42 games. In Madrid in particular, the hosts have rarely let their guard down, with the Mallorcans only winning four away games (most recently in the 2008/09 season). Real Madrid have won their last seven home games with a clear goal difference of 24:5. In their last meeting, last season in Mallorca, Ancelotti’s side lost 1-0 thanks to a Nacho own goal.

Real Madrid – Mallorca betting tip

The visitors from Mallorca will travel to Madrid with a broad chest after four games without defeat. In addition, the absences in Real’s central defense also provide a glimmer of hope for the visitors. Nevertheless, we don’t see any value in the odds for a surprise in Real Madrid v Mallorca. The Ancelotti team has not been thrown off course by personnel absences this season and has been extremely consistent

The “first round title” is not of great importance, but Ancelotti’s team will nevertheless play the game with the necessary attitude to defend their place in the sun. The impressive home record (22 out of a possible 24 points) speaks for itself, as does the direct comparison with the Mallorcans. However, we refrain from placing a high handicap bet on the hosts, as the strong Mallorca defense makes for a different betting recommendation