Real Madrid don return to action for La Liga after two weeks break, as dem dey travel go Son Moix to face RCD Mallorca dis Saturday. For Alvaro Arbeloa and him boys, dis match na big opportunity to put pressure on Barcelona wey dey top di table with four points ahead. Barcelona sef dey face Atletico Madrid later for di night, so if Madrid win, dem go close gap.
Last time both teams meet, Real Madrid carry comeback 2-1 victory with goals from Arda Guler and Vinicius Jr. Arbeloa dey hope say similar thing go happen today for Palma. But di team no dey complete. Federico Valverde no go play because of suspension, while Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, Rodrygo Goes, and Thibaut Courtois dey miss due to injury. On di good side, Eder Militao don return after four months injury, and Raul Asenio dey available again.
For defence, Andriy Lunin go keep goal as Courtois no dey. Dani Carvajal go hold right-back, while Alvaro Carreras go start for left-back ahead of Fran Garcia. Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen go form centre-back partnership, with Militao to come from bench later.
Midfield wahala dey because Valverde no dey. Jude Bellingham don return from injury, but manager Arbeloa say dem no go rush am. Instead, Arda Guler fit shift to right side of midfield, with Eduardo Camavinga for left side. Aurelien Tchouameni go hold central position with young boy Thiago Pitarch wey don become regular for di team.
For attack, Kylian Mbappe don fully recover and go start today. Vinicius Jr. dey likely to rest because of small injury from national duty, so Brahim Diaz go partner Mbappe upfront.
From Mallorca side, midfielder Pablo Torre don talk say di season don tough but dem dey learn. Him say, “It’s been a complicated season, but also a learning experience. We’re competing better, growing in many aspects. Now we have nine finals left.” Him admit say to play against Real Madrid no easy, but Mallorca fit surprise dem. “They’re coming off an international break, which is never easy to manage. It could be the perfect moment to spring a surprise,” Torre add.
Torre also yarn about La Liga title race, say Barcelona na di strongest team now. Him talk from experience as former Barcelona player.
Manager Martin Demichellis of Mallorca don echo similar sentiment, say dem fit use di international break period catch Madrid unaware.
For Madrid camp, Arbeloa don finally see di team dey perform well after taking over from Xabi Alonso. Di team don win five straight matches, including big Champions League victory over Manchester City. But Arbeloa warn say if dem no dey 100%, dem fit lose to anybody.
Bellingham matter don cause small wahala. England manager Thomas Tuchel no use am for international matches, say dem no wan take risk because of muscle injury. But Bellingham stay with England squad without playing. Now him dey back for Madrid and dey available for Mallorca match.
Arbeloa talk say, “I think Jude is smart enough to have gotten good training sessions in, to keep working his way back. And he’s ready to play, to start picking up match rhythm.” But manager say Bellingham no likely to start di match.
Di big question na how Bellingham go fit back into di team. Arbeloa don finally find working formation with 4-4-2 and two strikers. Young boy Thiago Pitarch don perform well in midfield. To drop am for Bellingham no be straight matter because di Englishman performance dis season no reach expectation with six goals and four assists only.
But Arbeloa dey clear say him dey count on Bellingham. “If I could give an arm for Jude to be healthy tomorrow, I would. He’s a leader, one of the best in the world,” di manager talk. “What makes me happy is how the team is competing without a player like Bellingham. It speaks very well of the squad.”
Di match go test Madrid depth as dem dey prepare for Champions League clash against Bayern Munich next week. Some players like Trent Alexander-Arnold fit dey protected for dat big match.
For Mallorca, dem dey fight to improve dia position for table. With nine matches remain, every point dey important. Dem dey hope to use home advantage and catch Madrid wey just return from break.
Di atmosphere for Son Moix go electric as fans dey expect tough contest. Madrid dey look to continue winning streak, while Mallorca wan prove say dem fit compete with big teams.
As di match dey approach, all eyes dey on team selection. Will Arbeloa start Bellingham or keep di winning formula? How Mallorca go approach di game – defensively or to attack? Di answers go show for pitch today afternoon.
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