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Despite starting the latest round of La Liga matches in the relegation zone by a point, Mallorca’s home match against Real Madrid “could be the perfect moment to pull off an upset”, believes attacking midfielder Pablo Torre.
Former Barcelona player Torre and his teammates started the season under Jagoba Arrasate before the manager was sacked on February 23 following a third straight defeat to increase their fears of falling out of the top flight.
Former River Plate and Monterrey coach Martin Demichelis has guided Mallorca to four points from four matches since then, collecting his first win in their 2-1 victory over Espanyol in their last home game on March 15.
“It’s time to show that we don’t deserve to be in this situation… and also to enjoy it,” said Torre, via AS.
“We can compete against them. They’re coming off an international break, which is never easy to manage.”
Demichelis’s Madrid counterpart and fellow interim coach accepts it is “always hard to reconnect” when players return from playing for their countries.
“But I trust how the players have trained, their desire, their attitude, their mindset, and their confidence,” said Alvaro Arbeloa, whose team host Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday, then have a visit from Girona in the league on Friday (both 20:00 BST).
“I plan to field the best team I have to win the match, as I always do… there are many matches in very few days, but we have a squad of magnificent players.”
Victory would move Madrid a point behind leaders Barcelona with eight matches of their season remaining. Barca then play their game in hand at Atletico Madrid on Saturday (20:00 BST).
“We have no margin for error,” warned Arbeloa. “We need to be very aware of this when we step onto the pitch, because it’s going to be a very tough game.”
Mallorca v Real Madrid team news
Captain and centre-back Antonio Raillo is out with a knock for Mallorca, who are also without goalkeeper Lucas Bergstrom.
On-loan Roma centre-half Marash Kumbulla and forward Takuma Asano are back in contention and the hosts’ five international players – Vedat Muriqi, Martin Valjent, Samuel Costa, Johan Mojica and Marc Virgili – did not suffer any issues with their countries, which Demichelis called “important”.
“Before they left, I asked them to understand the situation we’re in so they could return as soon as possible,” he explained.
“They all did and they were always in communication with us… [they] are available to be included; it’s a personal decision now.”
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (quad) and midfielder Dani Ceballos (calf) are sidelined for Madrid. David Alaba is part of their squad but may not feature as the defender returns from injury.
🔙 WE’RE BACK! pic.twitter.com/ZCS6maOa5l
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 3, 2026
Midfielder Federico Valverde is suspended but Eder Militao will return from a long-term injury. “In top form, he’s arguably the best centre-back in the world,” Arbeloa said of Militao.
“We’ve enjoyed him at Real Madrid for many years, and often you get the feeling that there are two players on the field when he’s there.
“He is a game-changing player. I’m very happy to have him back because he will be crucial for this final stretch of the season.”
Midfielder Jude Bellingham could make a full return from injury, having not been risked by England.
“For me, there’s no problem that he didn’t get minutes with England,” said Arbeloa. “If he had, it wouldn’t have been a problem either.
“I’m very happy to see him back in training and now my only goal is to help him regain his best level, and that has to happen by playing.
“He’s been out for a long time – several weeks away – and we’ll need to ease him back in gradually.”
Arbeloa does not expect top scorer Kylian Mbappe to be troubled again by a knee issue but admitted that winger Vinicius Junior is “tired, as expected” after playing for Brazil.
“My friend [Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti] hasn’t given him much rest, but that’s normal,” added Arbeloa. “Who wants to rest a player like him?
“I completely understand, but… both Real Madrid and [Brazil] are teams where the demands are very high, but that’s what he has to deal with.
“He’s an incredible player and it’s clear he’s come from a heavy load of matches since the start of 2026. I don’t think he’s had a single day off. We’ll see how he feels.”
