Real Madrid vs Mallorca Prediction: Back goals in the second half

Real Madrid look to keep up their 100% record in La Liga on Saturday evening as they face Mallorca in a 20:30 kick-off. Disney+ is the new home of Spanish Saturday evening matches in this time slot, so if you want to watch, you'll have to stream it via this platform.

Mark Sochon has enjoyed profits throughout the start of the season in Spain and he previews the action for us here at Betfred Insights. Read on for his Real Madrid vs Mallorca Predictions along with the Team News, Stats, Predicted Lineups and the Price Boosts from the trading team...

Real Madrid are bidding to make it three wins from three games under Xabi Alonso in La Liga this Saturday. Mallorca provide the opposition at the Santiago Bernabéu. 

Following their trip to the Club World Cup in the summer, Los Blancos would have been hoping for a favourable set of opening fixtures, and they got their wish.  

They began the campaign with a 1-0 home victory over Osasuna, where they got the job done, without ever hitting top gear. A penalty from Kylian Mbappé settled the contest, and after such a brief pre-season, Alonso would have just been relieved to get through the match without any dropped points. 

With 90 minutes already under their belts, Madrid did look a bit sharper in their second game. They ultimately won it 3-0 away to newly promoted Real Oviedo, but the headlines were largely written by a few big selection calls from the coach. 

Vinícius Júnior was dropped to the bench, with Rodrygo starting on the left flank. The 24-year-old had looked destined to leave the club this summer, and didn't even get off the bench in the opening fixture, so that was certainly a surprise. If the objective was to send a message to Vinícius, it had the desired effect, with the winger coming on to set up Real's second goal, and score the third. 

Dani Carvajal was also preferred to Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back. While it was always possible that the two would end up competing for one place, the ex-Liverpool man might have been anticipating a longer run of games in the side before needing to fend off the challenge of the Spaniard, who has only just returned from a long-term injury. 

Argentine teenager Franco Mastantuono also started, little over a week after he formally joined up with the squad on his 18th birthday. Alonso clearly has a lot of faith in the youngster. 

All eyes will be on Alonso's team selection again for this fixture against a Mallorca side that has already had to face Barcelona this season. Little went right on that occasion for Jagoba Arrasate and his team, with the Balearic Islanders reduced to nine men before the interval in a game they lost 3-0. 

That left them without the services of midfielder Manu Morlanes and striker Vedat Muriqi on matchday two. They were at home again, this time against Celta Vigo, and needed a good finish late on from full-back Mateu Morey to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw. 

Mallorca finished 10th last term in their first campaign under Arrasate. A respectable outcome for a club that now feels established back at this level having endured a difficult decade in the 2010s. However, it wasn't enough to please some fans, who were critical of a conservative style of play that served up only 35 goals in 38 league matches. 

They'd certainly be forgiven for setting up with a more negative outlook in this game, and we shouldn't expect Los Bermellones to take too many risks at the Bernabéu. They've lost on each of their last nine league trips to the capital to play Real Madrid, and any kind of result would be a huge bonus for them heading into the international break. 

Team News: 

Nothing has really changed on the selection front for Real Madrid since last weekend. They are still missing Jude Bellingham, Endrick, Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy to injuries. 

After shaking things up in Oviedo, Alonso could make changes again, with the ex-Leverkusen boss clearly keen to build healthy competition across the squad. Vinícius looks likely to return given the impact he made off the bench in Asturias, while Alexander-Arnold, Éder Militão and Brahim Díaz are also hoping for recalls. 

As for Mallorca, Morlanes and Muriqi are both likely to return to the team after completing their bans. Arrasate should therefore have a full squad to select from, with midfielder Samú Costa available again following a knee injury. 

The visiting boss may consider switching to a back five, which would likely mean a first start for summer signing Marash Kumbulla. 

Match Odds: 

Real Madrid are the 1/6 favourites to take a 100% record into the international break by winning this match. The draw is available at 6/1, while Mallorca are priced at 16/1 to spring a huge surprise at the Bernabéu. 

Punters will still be sizing up this new-look Madrid side. The early signs suggest they may be stronger defensively this term. If you believe that to be the case, you can back Los Blancos to win to nil at 7/10, while Real Madrid and Under 3.5 goals is on offer at 10/11. 

Alternatively, you can back Both teams to score at 11/8, while Mallorca are on offer at 13/10 with a +2.00 Handicap. The visitors are also priced at 5/1 to win either half. 

Unsurprisingly, home players dominate in the goalscorer markets, with Mbappé the obvious pick. The Frenchman has scored three of his team's four goals so far this term, and is priced at 2/1 to score first on Saturday. You can also back Mbappé to score anytime at 8/15, while he's on offer at 5/2 to score two or more. 

Vinícius is available at 11/10 to score anytime, while you can back Mastantuono to net his first Madrid goal at 9/5. 

You can bet on this match via our Real Madrid vs Mallorca Odds page on the main betfred.com website with all the latest prices and full betting markets.

Bet 1 - Real Madrid over 19.5 shots & Real Madrid over 5.5 corners @ 13/10 via Bet Builder

These sides met as recently as May on this ground. That was an extraordinary game that saw Mallorca take an early lead, but then drop very deep as the home team peppered their goal. Real Madrid registered an incredible 39 shots and 26 corners, as they came back to win 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time winner from the unlikely source of young defender Jacobo Ramón. 

We may not see those kinds of numbers this weekend, but it might not be too far off. Real Madrid have controlled their opening two matches, firing in 44 shots across 180 minutes of La Liga football so far. They've also won 16 corners, and I'm using the Bet Builder to back Real Madrid over 19.5 shots and Real Madrid over 5.5 corners at 13/10. 

Bet 2 - Highest scoring half - Second half @ 1/1 

Three of Madrid's four goals this season have come after the interval, and their early games have been slightly reminiscent of the opening stage of last season. They were dominant in those fixtures too, but often needed to wait for opposing defences to tire before finding gaps and killing teams off. 

Mallorca are generally organised defensively, and their potential switch to a back five should ensure there aren't too many spaces for Real Madrid's speedy forwards to run into. Given that, I can see this being another game involving Alonso's side that opens up after the interval, so I'm backing the second half in the Highest Scoring Half market at 1/1. 

Real Madrid vs Mallorca Price Boosts:

Mark Sochon P/L 25/26 Season:

• Points Staked: 12
• Points Returned: 18.73
• P/L: +6.73

Mark Sochon primarily covers Spanish Football for us at Betfred Insights. You can check out Mark's La Liga Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...