Mallorca vs Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid will head to the Visit Mallorca Estadi to take on relegation-battling Mallorca, looking to maintain their impressive La Liga form and respond to an uneventful European showing in midweek.

Javier Aguirre marked his touchline debut with an underwhelming 1-0 loss to fellow strugglers Getafe that extended Mallorca’s losing La Liga run to their season-worst seven matches. ‘Los Pirates’ appear to be sinking without a trace as they now trail 17th-placed Cadiz by two points while failing to find the back of the net in five of their last six league outings. Indeed, scoring has not been Mallorca’s strong suit this season, with only two La Liga sides netting fewer league goals than Aguirre’s men (26). After winning back-to-back home top-flight games in early February, they have now lost the last three in a row by an aggregate score of 6-0, casting doubt on their ability to go toe-to-toe with in-form Atletico Madrid.

Diego Simeone’s side will have a point to prove after losing 1-0 to Manchester City in midweek Champions League action without attempting a single shot on goal. Before collapsing at the Etihad, Atletico Madrid had gone unbeaten in eight straight matches across all competitions (W7, D1), including six consecutive victories in La Liga. ‘Los Rojiblancos’ high-flying domestic form will be severely tested at the Visit Mallorca Estadi, where they’ve won just twice in their last ten La Liga visits (D4, L4). However, the reigning Spanish champions will draw confidence from winning three successive away league fixtures by an aggregate score of 7-1. That should inspire Atletico’s bid to avoid losing both seasonal meetings with Mallorca in top-flight action for the first time since 1998/99.