La Liga Preview: Mallorca Rely on Japanese Star, Mbappe’s League Debut Leads Real Madrid’s Trio

At 3:30 am on August 19th, in the first round of the La Liga season, Mallorca will host Real Madrid at the Son Moix Stadium.

Mallorca finished 15th in La Liga last season. The team underwent significant changes during the summer transfer window, with a coaching change bringing in Spaniard Asier Garitano, and continuing their strategy of “buying low and selling high,” with players like Rajkovic, defender Gonzalez, and winger Niakate moving on. However, the team also brought in Morey from Borussia Dortmund and Takumi Minamino from Bochum, completing a rebuild.

In pre-season matches, Mallorca won 5 and drew 1 out of 6 games, although this was partly due to the weaker opponents (all wins were against teams from the Championship, League One, League Two, or Segunda División), it still boosted the team’s morale. Notably, new signing Takumi Minamino scored in consecutive games against Barnsley and Bologna, becoming a key player for the team.

While Real Madrid lost players like Kroos, Nacho, and JoseLu during the summer transfer window, they welcomed superstar Mbappe and rising star Endrick, maintaining formidable strength. In pre-season matches, Real Madrid lost to AC Milan and Barcelona, but this was partly because many key players were on vacation after the European Championship. In the midweek UEFA Super Cup, Real Madrid easily defeated Atalanta 2-0 to win the trophy, demonstrating that the team’s form is adjusting well.

In terms of head-to-head results, in the last 10 encounters, Real Madrid has 8 wins and 2 losses over Mallorca, holding an absolute advantage. However, Real Madrid cannot be complacent. Since 2019, Real Madrid has lost 2 out of 4 visits to Mallorca’s home ground, showing that Mallorca can put up a fight with home field advantage.

In terms of squad availability, Mallorca’s left winger Rabih’s fitness is questionable, and his participation is uncertain; this rotation player made 22 appearances for the team last season. On the Real Madrid side, Alaba and Camavinga, two long-term injury cases, continue to miss out. According to predictions by Spanish media, Real Madrid will continue to use the trio of Vinicius, Mbappe, and Rodrigo. However, due to playing in the UEFA Super Cup in the midweek, there is a possibility of some rotation in the midfield and defense.

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