Spanish Super Cup: Real Madrid are Ready to Defend Their Crown in Saudi

Real Madrid vs Mallorca

Real Madrid commence their Spanish Super Cup title defence with a semi-final matchup against Mallorca at the King Abdullah Sports City on Thursday night. Los Blancos come into this game in a positive mood after they’ve recently taken the top berth of the Spanish top-flight table.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side are fresh from a 5-0 victory over Deportiva Minera last night’s Copa del Rey Round of 32. Since losing 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao at the start of December 2024, Real Madrid are undefeated in their last five matches across all competitions.

Mallorca qualified for the Spanish Super Cup because they are the runners-up in the 2023-24 Copa del Rey. Jagoba Arrasate’s side is punching above their weight this season because they’re sixth in the La Liga standings. However, unlike Real Madrid, Mallorca are coming off a 3-0 upset against Pontevedra in the Copa del Rey. 

 

Talking Points

Key rotations for Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti will recall his top guns on Thursday after resting most of them in their blowout victory over Deportiva Minera in the Copa del Rey Round of 32. Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Ferland Mendy were among the stars who were given the day off, and Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe came off the bench yesterday.

Vinicius Jr. was slapped with a two-game suspension after getting a straight red card in Real Madrid’s 2-1 win against Valencia. However, his punishment is applicable in La Liga, so the Brazilian international is available for selection.

Real Madrid cannot call upon the injured Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, and Jesus Vallejo. However, the team received a huge boost following the news of David Alaba’s return to the squad after a year-long injury.

The men to watch out for if you’re Mallorca are Kylian Mbappe and Fede Valverde. Mbappe will lead Real Madrid’s attack in his first-ever Spanish Super Cup appearance. The Frenchman has 13 goals since he joined the Los Blancos last summer. Valverde, on the other hand, had two goal contributions in last night’s win over Deportiva Minera (one goal, one assist).

 

Larin is the man for Mallorca

Mallorca head coach Jagoba Arrasate also rotated his squad during their Copa del Rey loss against Pontevedra, so he’ll recall his top players against Real Madrid. One of them is their striker, Cyle Larin, who is Los Bermellones’ top scorer with five league goals and two assists. The Canadian had a slow start when he joined Mallorca in 2023, but he has now emerged as one of the most underrated players in Spain.

Dani Rodriguez will likely join Larin up front, and the veteran forward still has pep in his step. The 36-year-old is Mallorca’s top playmaker with four assists and two league goals. Vedat Muriqi and Abdon Prats are some of the options off the bench for Jagoba Arrasate, and the two forwards have five league goals combined. Los Bermellones also need a top performance from team captain Sergi Darder in the middle of the park.

 

History

Real Madrid and Mallorca have already faced off earlier this season, as the latter held the former to a 1-1 draw last August. Rodrygo scored the first goal of the match for Los Blancos, but Vedat Muriqi scored the equaliser for Los Bermellones, and Ferland Mendy was sent off during stoppage time. Before this game, Real Madrid have notched back-to-back 1-0 wins against Mallorca.

Real Madrid are the second-winningest team in the Spanish Super Cup, with 13 trophies after winning three in the last four years. In contrast, Mallorca only won once in 1998, and they finished as the runners-up in 2003.

The winner of this semi-finas contest will take on the winner of the other semi-final contest between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao tomorrow, who combine for 17 Spanish Super Cups.

 

Betting Tip

The Spanish Super Cup 2025 odds predict a lopsided match between Real Madrid and Mallorca. Real Madrid are 1.35 favourites to win, whereas Mallorca are 6.70 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.60 in the 1X2 market.

Mallorca may have given Real Madrid a lot of trouble in their past few meetings, but it’s hard to envision them winning this game. However, SBOTOP bettors shouldn’t expect many Spanish Super Cup 2025 highlights on Thursday, making alternatives like Under 1.25 at 1.92 and Total Goal 0-1 at 4.30 viable. Moreover, a Correct Score of 1-0 in favour of Real Madrid – the scoreline of two of their last three meetings – is priced at 7.70 your bet.

   

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