November 10, 2024. 5:15 p.m. Palma de Mallorca. “Mallorca Son Moix”.
La Liga 2024-25. 13th day
Mallorca – Atletico (Madrid)
Where to watch: RAINBOWVolia TV
Suspensions : None
Injured: Ivan Cuellar, Toni Lato, Valeri, Takuma Asano – Robin Le Normand, Thomas Lemar
Doubtful: Joan Maffeo – Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Llorente
Mallorca
The islanders are showing notable progress under the leadership of their new coach. However, their first victory with Jagoba Arrasate came only in the fourth round, when they won a match 1-0 and went into the international break with morale high. It should be noted that the Balearic team started the season with a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid. After the restart, Mallorca suffered a disappointing 1-2 home defeat to Villarreal, conceding a decisive goal in the last minute of injury time. Nevertheless, they then embarked on a run of three consecutive victories, two of them away, a performance which has not often been a strength of the islanders in recent years. They first claimed a narrow 1-0 home win over Real Sociedad before winning successfully at Sevilla and Valladolid, with both games ending 2-1.
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However, after a stunning success in September, putting them in a European competitive zone, the team suffered a slump in October. Before the international break, Arrasate’s men lost 1-2 against Espanyol in Barcelona. Two weeks later, the Balearic team had a great performance against Rayo Vallecano, winning thanks to a corner kick. However, this goal from Vedat Muriqi and this victory remains Mallorca’s last triumph. Early on, the islanders snatched a draw at home against Athletic (0-0 with Samu Costa sent off in the first half), and last week they narrowly lost 0-1 to Alaves in Vitoria.
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Atletico
The Diego Simeone-led side are currently third in the La Liga table, five points ahead of their next opponent, but the overall impression of the game and results for the Colchoneros is significantly less favorable. This may be due to the higher expectations placed on them. Although the Madrid team has generally performed well in the league, it is worth noting that they have often been lucky – Atletico have won or saved matches where they did not deserve to. This includes matches in Bilbao, Vigo, and the capital derby against Real Madrid. However, there was one notable loss of points – a home draw against Espanyol (0-0) despite completely dominating the game.
The problems began to appear before the last international break. After a home derby, Atletico suffered a humiliating 0-4 defeat in Lisbon against Benfica, and a few days later they failed to maintain a small lead in San Sebastian against Real Sociedad (1-1). After the break, Simeone’s men staged a comeback by winning 3-1 at home to Leganes but faltered again in the Champions League, losing 1-3 at home to Lille, followed by another 0-1 defeat at Sevilla against Betis.
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Only the lazy (or completely indifferent) people didn’t criticize Atletico, and the negative feedback had an effect. It seems that Colchoneros thrive in situations of stress and crisis. However, it is still too early to draw conclusions. Yes, the Madrid team currently have a three-game winning streak, but their victory against amateur team Vika in the Copa del Rey on synthetic turf was somewhat unconvincing (2-0), with both goals coming late, including one from the penalty spot. Last weekend, Diego Simeone’s side secured a similar 2-0 victory against Las Palmas, who are gradually emerging from a slump, with goals from Giuliano Simeone and Alex Sörloth. This week, Atletico achieved a small feat, winning 2-1 away against PSG with a last-minute goal from Ángel Correa.
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Mallorca – Atletico : Expected compositions
Mallorca is without goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar, full-back Toni Lato, effective substitute Valeri and winger Takuma Asano. In addition, they could be deprived of their starting left side Joan Maffeo. Atletico are without their key central defender Robin Le Normand and the flammable Thomas Lemar, but the return (at least to the group) of experienced players Cesar Azpilicueta and versatile Marcos Llorente is possible.
Mallorca – Atletico : Author’s prediction
Mallorca, under Jagoba Arrasate, have lost just one of their last six home matches, drawing three and winning two. Notably, the islanders have not conceded a goal in four of these six matches. Atletico have found away matches difficult this season, although they have at times managed to extract maximum results from minimum performances. Last May, Diego Simeone’s team managed a victory in the Balearic Islands (1-0), but before that they had lost here for two consecutive seasons with the same score. After three previous matches in the Champions League, Atletico have dropped points in their away games, and the next match could continue this rather unpleasant trend. Mallorca poses a strong and unpleasant challenge, so I’ll risk a prediction about which islanders won’t lose.
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