Everyone will be paying attention to the crunch match in Madrid tonight as Real Madrid look to win thier first trophy in four years. To get that trophy, they must overcome Real Mallorca in the Santiago Bernabeu.
The four year trophy drought is amazingly, the worst run in the club's history. As such, it is great for Real as thier destiny lies in their own hands and not have to depend on the results of others. A win will guarantee them the title. Anything less than a win, and the advantage will shift to Barca who has a relatively easy last game. 90 minutes separate Real from one of the most memorable title comeback and run of events in the club's history.
The game will also have some emotional goodbyes at the end of it. The reborned Beckham will bid goodbye to Spain after the game as he ply his trade in the US in the coming season. An even more emotional goodbye for the fans would be seeing their long serving Brazilian, ROberto Carlos. The left back has played for more than a decade for Real Madrid. He will join Fenerbahce for the next season.
The game was not excused of any controversies as a club vs country row loomed over the fixture. Brazilian forward Robinho and Malian captain Mahamadou Diarra have been caught in a tug of war between club and country duties. FIFA had to stepped in and surprisingly ruled that the pair are cleared to play for their club. Club over country? Does not sound right to me. It could trigger an avalanche of similar claims by players. (Bentley, Agbonlahor)
Adding more spice to the fixture, Real president Ramón Calderón was criticised for his supposed lap of honour after Los Merengues snatched a nail-biting 2-2 draw at Zaragoza last week. Calderón however, insisted that his actions were misunderstood, and that he simply went down to the Romadera pitch to thank the travelling supporters. Yeah right.
Enough about Real, how about Mallorca? They may not have anything left to play for this season but the prospect of denying Real Madrid a league title at the Santiago Bernabéu should be enough motivation for the players to step up for the match.
If ever there were doubts, numerous Malloraca players have already made public that their allegiance lies with either Barcelona or Sevilla, and they will gladly beat the capital giants so that the title will head elsewhere.
Mallorca's season may be over, but manager Manzano has set a target of a top ten finish. They will be able to achieve that if they win and the two teams above them, Espanyol and Racing Santander, lose or draw. Yes hopeful.
Real Mallorca are sort of a bogey team for Real Madrid. From 2000 to 2004, Real had failed to beat Mallorca on home turf in four consecutive seasons, losing three times and one draw.
Historically, a good omen for Real is that 19 of their 29 league championships have been won infront of the Bernabeu. Tonight they look to make it 20 out of 30.
FORM GUIDE
Real Madrid
Real six match winning sequence came to an end last week with the draw at Zaragoza, but achieving nine wins out of their last 11 so far is an impressive run. The last five matches, with the exception of the win over Deportivo, have all been close calls with either a comeback or a last minute goal needed to salvage the game and their title dreams.
LAST FIVE:
Jun 09: Zaragoza vs Real Madrid 2-2
May 26: Real Madrid vs Deportivo La Coruña 3-1
May 20: Recreativo Huelva vs Real Madrid 2-3
May 12: Real Madrid vs Espanyol 4-3
May 06: Real Madrid vs Sevilla 3-2
Real Mallorca
Mallorca were enjoying a run of four consecutive wins and one defeat in eight games before slipping in the last three matches, losing twice. They are miserly at the back, conceding just five goals in their last 11 games. And the last time they conceded more than a goal in a game was 12 matchdays ago.
LAST FIVE:
Jun 09: Mallorca vs Sevilla 0-0
May 27: Athletic Bilbao vs Mallorca 1-0
May 19: Mallorca vs Valencia 0-1
May 13: Racing Santander vs Mallorca 0-2
May 06: Mallorca vs Osasuna 3-1
TEAM NEWS
Real Madrid
Both Robinho and Diarra have been made eligible to play for Real. Ivan Helguera is suspended and fullback Miguel Torres is doubtful. The Italian coach has been experimenting with Michel Salgado and Cicinho to occupy the right back position.
David Beckham and Fernando Gago trained separately from the team for most of the week to recover from niggles, but both are expected to be fully fit for tonight. Cassano, Raul Bravo and Mejia remain the long term injury casualties.
PROBABLE STARTING XI: Casillas - Salgado/Cicinho, Cannavaro, Sergio Ramos, R. Carlos - Diarra, Emerson/Gago - Beckham, Raul, Robinho - van Nistelrooy
Real Mallorca
Argentine midfielder Ariel Ibagaza is suspended for 10 yellow cards accumulation last week. Serbian Bosko Jankovic, who is the club's joint top scorer, is away representing his country in the U-21 European Championships.
Greek Angelos Basinas will thus deputize to form the defensive midfield with Guillermo Pereyra.
Upfront, Victor should get the nod ahead of Maxi Lopez to play as the lone striker eventhough the Argentine, on loan from Barcelona, is desperate to help his wage-paying employers win the title with a goal or two against Madrid.
PROBABLE STARTING XI: Moya - Hector, Ballesteros, Nunes, Navarro - Varela, Pereyra, Basinas, Arango, Jonas - Victor
KEY PLAYERS
Real Madrid: Ruud van Nistelrooy
The Dutchman's two goals against Zaragoza last week has put him in pole position to sew up the top scorer award. In addition, he's now also chasing Europe's Golden Boot. Another goal will tie his personal best if he makes it eight in a row.
Keep an eye on departing heroes David Beckham and Roberto Carlos as they strut their stuff one final time for Spanish audiences.
Real Mallorca: Juan Arango
The Venezuelan attacking midfielder will be the player to unlock and exploit Madrid's backline. The 27 year old playmaker, aside from having tremendous pace and passing skills, has a keen eye for goal.
Barcelona-backed defenders Sergio Ballesteros and Fernando Navarro will be the other two players acting as the thorn in Madrid's side as they look to blunt and frustrate Real's attackers.
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