Three talking points ahead of Mallorca vs Real Madrid | La Liga MD 30 | OneFootball

After the international break where most of Real Madrid’s squad was busy, the men in white return to action on Saturday afternoon when they take on Mallorca away from home.

When the two sides met earlier this season, Arda Guler and Vinicius Jr. scored two goals in two minutes to overcome the 1-0 lead that Vedat Muriqi’s goal had handed Mallorca.

However, that was all the margin Los Blancos could accumulate on the night as the full-time whistle sounded with the 2-1 scoreline on the board.

This time around, the clash will be at Son Moix, a stadium where Real Madrid have won just twice in their last five matches. 

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Mallorca vs Real Madrid.

Serious business begins

The beginning of the season saw the schedule of club football interrupted by far more international breaks, every one of which served as a break in rhythm or a much-needed rest based on the team’s form.

The recent international break, in that sense, was the final one for the season but served a far bigger purpose in terms of its placement for it virtually marks the beginning of the business end of the season.

Now in the month of April, champions will begin to be crowned in various leagues, cup competitions, and even the premier European competitions soon and it is that part of the season when champion sides step up and improve their game.

The same applies for Real Madrid if they are to take home a title this season, for they have been average at best all campaign but could change everything by stepping up now.

Over the next month, Real Madrid have a chance to make a comeback and possibly take the lead in La Liga, enter the semifinals, and possibly take a big step towards the final of the UEFA Champions League.

All of that begins with tomorrow’s game away against Mallorca in a game which marks the start of the all-important business end of the campaign. Momentum, at this point, is critical and Real Madrid will hope to start off strong.

The Bellingham puzzle

Where will Bellingham fit in? (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Jude Bellingham spent over 40 days out through injury, and the period coincidentally clashed with some of Real Madrid’s best football of the season.

With the Englishman out, Los Blancos tore through Manchester City, won eight league games and lost just twice, finding a solid midfield combination that provided decent stability and creativity.

Now rested and raring to go, Bellingham must return to the starting lineup but it remains a massive question as to who he will replace in the dynamics. After all, every midfielder has played well in his absence.

Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni appear to be the two non-negotiable starters for Real Madrid in the department and will not make way for the attacking midfielder in any capacity.

Arda Guler and Thiago Pitarch, thus, stand as the two players who are replaceable, although both have been in great form in recent weeks.

The natural option would be to remove the new entrant in Pitarch and field a combination with both Bellingham and Guler on the field. That combination, however, did not work well for the team earlier this season.

Should the manager opt to deploy Bellingham with Pitarch and drop Guler, however, the decision is likely to be a more difficult one given how the Turkish star has established himself as one of the few players with a tangible creative output for the team.

For tomorrow, with Valverde suspended, there may be a case for a direct replacement. But, moving forward, a big decision awaits Arbeloa as he looks for the right formula to add Bellingham to a team that has looked cohesive in some capacity.

A switch-up in attack

Like Bellingham, Mbappe too was out of action for over a month after a proper diagnosis of his knee injury and made his return only for the team’s games against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.

On both nights, he started on the bench and only came on late in the game as an impact player. For the first game after the international break, he is set to return as a starter.

Concurrently, however, Vinicius Jr. may be rested for the game against Mallorca, meaning there will be a switch in responsibility-takers in attack tomorrow.

Unlike what many would have hoped, Vinicius and Mbappe are unlikely to play together tomorrow afternoon. Instead, Mbappe will have to take up the former’s place in attack, likely alongside Brahim Diaz, and lead the charge for Real Madrid.

A lot, thus, will depend on how that switch-up changes Real Madrid’s dynamics in attack. After all, the priority will be to have both players at 100% for the Bayern Munich clash next week.