Real Madrid and Mallorca will battle for a spot in the Spanish Super Cup final on Thursday at King Abdullah Sports City.
Los Blancos enter the semifinal as reigning La Liga champions, while Mallorca secured their place as Copa del Rey runners-up last season.
Madrid, fresh off lifting the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in December with a 3-0 win over Pachuca, have been in fine form.
Their 4-2 victory over Sevilla in their final 2024 match was followed by a dramatic 2-1 win against Valencia last Friday.
Despite Vinicius Junior’s red card, Luka Modric’s equalizer and Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time winner propelled Madrid to the top of La Liga, holding a five-point lead over third-placed Barcelona.
Carlo Ancelotti’s squad continued their momentum with a 5-0 win over Deportivo Minera in the Copa del Rey, advancing to the last 16 and extending their unbeaten streak to seven competitive matches.
Now, their sights are set on defending the Super Cup, a title they won in 2023 after defeating Barcelona 4-1.
Real Madrid has triumphed in their last three Super Cup semifinals, and their confidence is high heading into Thursday’s match.
Mallorca, entering the Super Cup for the first time, face a tough challenge. After a strong Copa del Rey campaign last season, they narrowly lost to Athletic Bilbao in the final, and their league form has placed them sixth under Jagoba Arrasate’s management.
However, their recent form has been inconsistent, with three losses in their last five matches, including a disappointing 3-0 defeat to fourth-tier Pontevedra in the Copa del Rey.
Nevertheless, Mallorca can take heart from their 1-1 draw against Madrid in their season opener, and they will aim to cause an upset.
A repeat of that result would send the game into extra time, with Mallorca hoping to secure their first win over Madrid since February 2023.
Madrid will be without defensive duo Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao for the remainder of the season due to ACL injuries, while David Alaba is nearing a return but won’t feature in the Super Cup.
Vinicius is available for the semi-final despite his suspension in La Liga. Kylian Mbappe, with 13 goals already this season, will make his Super Cup debut.
For Mallorca, midfielder Samu Costa, who has missed the last three matches with a muscle injury, has been included in the squad, but his fitness remains uncertain.
Defensive duo Antonio Raillo and Antonio Sanchez will also be assessed after missing training.
Arrasate is expected to make several changes from his squad that lost to Pontevedra, with key players such as Dominik Greif, Pablo Maffeo, Sergi Darder, Cyle Larin and Vedat Muriqi all vying for starting spots.