Atletico Madrid will be aiming to make it four straight wins in all competitions when they head to Mallorca in Spain's top flight on Sunday afternoon.
Diego Simeone's side are currently third in the La Liga table, one point behind second-placed Real Madrid, while Mallorca occupy eighth position, having collected 18 points from their first 12 games of the campaign.
Match preview
Mallorca boast a record of five wins, three draws and four defeats from their 12 La Liga matches this season, with a total of 18 points leaving them in eighth spot in the table, five points off their opponents this weekend.
Goals have been an issue for Jagoba Arrasate's side this season, only managing 10 in their 12 games, which is the joint-third worst attacking record in the division, but they have been strong down the other end of the field, conceding just nine, with only Atletico (seven) boasting a stronger record in 2024-25.
Mallorca have only managed to win one of their last four league games, and they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Alaves last time out, with the result following a goalless draw at home to Athletic Bilbao.
The Pirates have only lost once at home in the league this season, with that run including a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid, but they have been beaten in their last three top-flight fixtures with Atletico.
The corresponding match last season ended in a 1-0 success for Simeone's side, but Mallorca have had recent success over the Red and Whites, posting three straight wins between December 2021 and November 2022.
Atletico, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a much-needed win in the Champions League, and it was an impressive one, beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the French capital.
The Red and Whites have now moved into 23rd spot in the Champions League table courtesy of just their second European success of the campaign, and they are currently on a three-game winning run, also overcoming Vic in the Copa del Rey and Las Palmas in La Liga since a 1-0 reverse to Real Betis on October 27.
Simeone's side are third in the table, boasting a record of six wins, five draws and one defeat from 12 matches, picking up 23 points in the process, leaving them just one point behind second-placed Real Madrid.
Atletico have not exactly been free-scoring this season, only finding the back of the net on 18 occasions, but as mentioned, they again have the best defensive record, and Sunday's clash will be a meeting of the two best defences in Spain's top flight at this stage of the campaign.
The capital giants finished fourth in La Liga last term, so there is plenty of room for improvement this season, and they will be expecting to claim a top-three spot alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Team News
Mallorca will be without the services of three players for Sunday's contest, with Valery Fernandez, Ivan Cuellar and Takuma Asano unavailable for selection.
Samu Costa is back from suspension, though, and he should come into the XI, with Arrasate preparing to make changes to the side that started the narrow defeat to Alaves last time out.
Vedat Muriqi, Sergi Darder, Johan Mojica and Dominik Greif are also expected to be among those to be introduced back into the side, but Cyle Larin is set to keep his spot in the final third of the field.
As for Atletico, Thomas Lemar, Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand and Cesar Azpilicueta are again unavailable for selection, but no fresh issues have been reported since the Champions League clash with PSG.
Alexander Sorloth has found it difficult to show his best form since arriving from Villarreal, only managing four goals in 16 appearances, and he is expected to again start on the bench, with Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann likely to be the front two.
Rodrigo Riquelme could potentially come into the XI on Sunday, while Koke is also pushing to start, with Simeone expected to make changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against PSG.
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Greif; Maffeo, Valjent, Raillo, Mojica; Navarro, Morlanes, Costa, Darder; Muriqi, Larin
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Riquelme, De Paul, Koke, Gallagher; Alvarez, Griezmann
We say: Mallorca 1-1 Atletico Madrid
This is a meeting between the best two defences in La Liga, and we are not expecting many goals this weekend. It would not be a shock to see a 1-0 victory either way, but we just have a feeling that the points will be shared in a 1-1 draw, which would not be the worst result in the world for either side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
body check tags ::
Previews by email
