The 15th place Real Club Deportivo Mallorca will be taking on mighty 3rd position Real Madrid on their sunny Island in the Balearic Archipelago at ONO Estadí this Sunday at 3 p.m. EST. Lowly Mallorca wants to win again after coming off their good moment over Sevilla on the road last week by winning 2-1.
WagerWeb.com got this one right on the money. They have no total for this game but they have Real Madrid as a -133 favorite which is a great price. Mallorca’s +333 is a dreamer’s line, but with all the trouble as of late at the Real camp, who knows? The Draw at +230 has value but only in the event Mallorca can hold them to one or none.
The decision to award Coach Gregorio Manzano a one year contract extension did little to change Real Mallorca's on pitch fortunes, when the club suffered their fourth successive defeat after going down at home to Athletic Bilbao.
All seemed lost two weeks ago when Mallorca had won just one of their last nine league games and found themselves only one point and one place above the relegation zone. Their next two matches were against leaders Sevilla and third placed Real Madrid but luck changed when the Islanders beat first place Sevilla at home last week. Now full of enthusiasm the Mediterranean side is stirred up to offer Real Madrid a run for their money. Bet on soccer at WagerWeb and receive a 30% bonus!
Powerhouse Real Madrid has not had a good past month, starting at their 1-2 loss to Sevilla December 9th, a 1-0 unconvincing win to mid chart Espanyol Barcelona, a shocking 0-3 loss to Recreativo, a follow up 0-2 loss to Deportivo and a mere 1-nil victory over Zaragoza, have all collected a loss of 9 points in la Liga and a total of 7 goals against with only 3 in favor.
To worsen matters there’s internal “bleeding”. President Calderon openly criticized David Beckham and other players this week, spurring a reaction that obligated him to apologize. Raul came forward and criticized Calderon’s actions while defending his teammates. Coach Fabio Capello had deemed Beckham ineligible along with Ronaldo, one for his mega trade to LA Galaxy and the other for overweight. Fabio changed his mind regarding the Brit but the Brazilian will remain out.
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To add to all of this, Real Madrid drew with Real Betis on Thursday for the Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) and was eliminated handing the pass to Betis. Madrid, which led at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Robinho's fifth minute goal, went out on away goals as last week's first leg of the fifth round meeting ended goalless. Betis advanced into the quarterfinals while Madrid, which hasn't won Spain's knockout competition since 1993, was knocked out once again.
This also created havoc since Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium erupted in anger when a headed goal by Madrid defender Ivan Helguera was ruled offside. The linesman who flagged the offside was showered with objects, including a full liter (2-pint) plastic bottle which struck him on his left arm. For this the federation fined Real Madrid an undisclosed amount and could close the stadium a few games as punishment.
My guess, Real Madrid is going to take out all their frustration on Mallorca. -133 all the way for me!
