Mbappe, Brahim start in a 4-4-2 – How Real Madrid can line up against Mallorca | OneFootball

After a two-week hiatus, Real Madrid are back in action later today as they get set to take on RCD Mallorca in La Liga away at Son Moix.

Heading into the international break, Alvaro Arbeloa & co. were in impressive form, having picked up wins over the likes of Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.

With Barcelona facing Atletico Madrid later on in the night, this represents the perfect opportunity for Los Blancos, currently four points behind their arch-rivals, to bag a victory and put them under pressure.

The last time Real Madrid faced Mallorca, they managed to secure a comeback 2-1 victory, courtesy of strikes from Arda Guler and Vinicius Jr. And, Arbeloa will be hoping for a similar outcome and three points in the bag later today in Palma.

Leading up to the match, the Merengues have been boosted by the return of Eder Militao, back after four months out with injury, while Raul Asencio is also available after missing the last couple of matches.

However, Federico Valverde misses out because of suspension, whereas Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, Rodrygo Goes, and Thibaut Courtois are absent through fitness issues.

With that in mind, here’s how Real Madrid could line up against Mallorca today at Son Moix, hoping for a crucial victory.

Defence

With Thibaut Courtois unavailable for the foreseeable future, the onus of guarding the Real Madrid goal will fall on Andriy Lunin once again.

Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal is likely to continue at right-back ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who could be protected with an eye on next week’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.

On the opposite side, Alvaro Carreras should reclaim his place in the lineup from Fran Garcia, although the summer signing is under pressure to secure his spot amid strong performances from his competitors.

Alvaro Carreras to start ahead of Fran Garcia. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen will form the centre-back pairing for the visitors, with Eder Militao expected to get some minutes off the bench.

Midfield

Federico Valverde’s absence through suspension creates a vacancy in midfield for Real Madrid, posing a dilemma for manager Alvaro Arbeloa.

While Jude Bellingham’s return to fitness puts him in the frame for a starting spot, it is more likely that the Englishman is eased back into action after more than a month out.

As such, Arda Guler could move to the right side of the four-man midfield unit for Real Madrid today, with Eduardo Camavinga taking up the left side.

Meanwhile, Aurelien Tchouameni will hold the fort down in the central position, where he will likely be partnered with youngster Thiago Pitarch, who has become a regular in the team in recent weeks.

Attack

Up front, Real Madrid megastar Kylian Mbappe is all set to reclaim his starting berth after two appearances off the bench since his return from injury. How he adapts in this new setup preferred by Arbeloa will be interesting to see.

As for his partner in attack, Vinicius Jr. would have been the preferred option, but the Brazilian is likely to be rested today to manage his workload, especially after having had some minor issues while away on national team duty.

As such, Mbappe is likely to be accompanied by Brahim Diaz in attack for Real Madrid against Mallorca.