Winless RCD Mallorca are all set to host Atletico Madrid in Matchday five of La Liga at Son Moix. The hosts will be eyeing their first win of the season, while the visitors will be looking to build on their first league win of the season.
The home team are 19th on the points table with just one point from their first four outing. They started the season with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona. While Mallorca did claim a point against Celta Vigo, they have suffered defeat at the hands of Real Madrid and Espanyol in their last two outings.
Given the kind of form Mallorca have been in, they will certainly find it difficult against one of the Spanish giants in Atletico Madrid. While Jagoba Arrasate’s men will be hoping to cause an upset, even securing a point will be a massive task.
The visitors have not had the best of starts to the new season. While they were expected to be pushing for the league title, Atletico Madrid find themselves 11th on the table with just one win in their first four league outings.
After failing to win any of their first three league games, Simeone’s team recorded a 2-0 win over Villarreal in their last league outing. However, they suffered a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League on Thursday night.
While it was a disappointing result, Los Rojiblancos did put up a fight and will be eager to return to winning ways here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
The home team could be without the services of Javi Llabres and Marash Kumbulla. The duo will undergo a late fitness test to determine their availability for this fixture.
Against Atletico Madrid, RCD Mallorca will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Leo Roman will be in goal. Pablo Maffeo and Johan Mojica will feature as the full-backs, while Martin Valjent will partner with Antonio Raillo in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Sergi Darder and Pablo Torre will feature in the wide areas, while Manu Morlanes will partner with Samu Costa in a central role. The midfield four will look to shield the backline and ensure Atletico midfielders do not dominate the proceedings. In the final third, Vedat Muriqi will start alongside Mateo Joseph.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Roman; Maffeo, Valjent, Raillo, Mojica; Darder, Morlanes, Costa, Torre; Muriqi, Joseph
The visitors will certainly be without the services of Alex Baena, Jose Gimenez and Thiago Almada. Meanwhile, Johnny Cardoso and Julian Alvarez’s availability is a major doubt.
Against RCD Mallorca, Atletico Madrid will continue to line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Jan Oblak will be in goal. Marcos Llorente and David Hancko will be the full-backs, while Robin Le Norman will pair up with Clement Lenglet in the heart of the defence.
Giovanni Simeone and Nicolas Gonzalez will feature on the flanks in the centre of the park, while Koke will partner with Pablo Barrios in more central areas. They will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure they dominate the proceedings. With Alvarez a major doubt, Alexander Sorloth could partner with Antoine Griezmann in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Hancko; Simeone, Koke, Barrios, Gonzalez; Griezmann, Sorloth
While age has started to catch up to Griezmann, he still remains an integral part of Simeone’s first-team plans. The 34-year-old French forward has not had the best of starts to the new season as he is yet to contribute towards a goal in any of his first five outings,
With Julian Alvarez a doubt, Griezmann is expected to start in this fixture, and he will certainly be eager to find the back of the net and help his team return to winning ways.
Atletico Madrid will head into this fixture as the clear favourites, especially given their recent record against Mallorca. Diego Simeone’s men finally got their league campaign up and running with a solid win over Villarreal, and despite their midweek defeat in Europe, they showed enough fight to suggest they can bounce back quickly.
As for the hosts, Mallorca are still searching for their first victory of the campaign, and they will need to produce something special to trouble Atletico Madrid. Their defensive frailties, coupled with a lack of firepower in attack, make this a daunting task against a side of Atletico’s calibre. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the away team.
