Who: Real Madrid vs Mallorca
What: Spanish La Liga – Match day 36
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
When: Wednesday at 9.30pm local time (19:30 GMT)
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Fresh from their demoralising 4-3 defeat at Barcelona in El Clasico on Sunday, Real Madrid will now face Mallorca at home at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday as they desperately try to keep their La Liga title defence alive.
With three rounds to play, the championship calculus is relatively simple: Real need to keep winning and hope Barcelona, who have lost only two games in 2025 across all competitions, lose their remaining three league games.
Here are the key talking points as the Spanish giants embark on their must-win Match day 36 fixture against Mallorca, who currently sit ninth on the La Liga ladder:
El Clasico turned the La Liga title race
Barcelona’s dramatic 4-3 come-from-behind victory against Real on Sunday was undoubtedly the most devastating defeat of the four El Clasico fixtures Madrid have had to their great rivals in the 2024-25 season.
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On most days, star striker Kylian Mbappe’s two goals in the opening 14 minutes of El Clasico, followed by a hat-trick in the 70th minute, would have been enough to bury any team in the Spanish top-flight – but this Barcelona side is the exception.
Real Madrid now find themselves seven points behind the Catalan giants with just three rounds remaining in La Liga.
The basic maths is quite straightforward: if Real lose or draw with Mallorca on Wednesday, Barcelona – even if they lost their last three matches – would win the La Liga title on a countback; if Real beat Mallorca on Wednesday and Barcelona defeat Espanyol on Thursday, then Barcelona are instantly crowned champions.
How bad has Real Madrid’s season been?
Real Madrid began the season as the defending La Liga champions with lofty aspirations to complete a rare title treble: La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League.
They did win the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup this season, but lost the Supercopa and Copa del Rey finals to Barcelona, while they were eliminated from the Champions League by Arsenal at the quarterfinal stage.
Real are 0-4 against Barcelona this season, having lost both La Liga fixtures as well as the aforementioned Supercopa and Copa del Rey finals.
The Ancelotti-Alonso distraction
It was announced on Monday that manager Carlo Ancelotti will leave Real Madrid for a second time, despite having a year remaining on his contract, after the Italian signed on to coach Brazil before the FIFA World Cup 2026.
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Speculation of his departure had been in play for weeks after the 65-year-old all but admitted to the media he might leave the club after the Copa del Rey final loss to Barcelona on April 26.
Also on Monday, multiple Spanish media outlets reported that former Real Madrid star midfielder – and current Bayer Leverkusen manager – Xabi Alonso is set to become the club’s next boss on a three-year deal when he leaves the German club after this season.
Alonso, 43, is expected to join Real before the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup in the United States from June 15 to July 13, media reports said.
Team news – Real Madrid
In a serious blow to Real Madrid’s short-term prospects, star forward Vinicius Junior will sit out the match against Mallorca after picking up an ankle injury, following Sunday’s 4-3 loss to Barcelona.
Further depleting the regular starting XI are Lucas Vazquez, who is struggling with a thigh injury, and Aurelien Tchouameni, who picked up a yellow-card suspension and will miss out on Wednesday’s crucial contest.
The mysterious status of key attacking midfielder Rodrygo, who occupied a seat on the bench during El Clasico and is rumoured to be refusing to play in recent matches, was addressed by Ancelotti on Tuesday, who explained to the media why the Brazilian star will miss his third straight fixture.
“Rodrygo was struck by a fever last week, which hindered his training and recovery. Today, he mentioned some thigh discomfort that requires our careful attention. Post-fever, he’s not yet in top form. Despite the swirling speculation, it’s clear that Rodrygo is cherished by everyone, especially me,” Ancelotti said.
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David Alaba, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and Dani Carvajal all remain unavailable through injury.
Team news – Mallorca
Manager Jagoba Arrasate is set to play Leo Roman in place of first-choice goalkeeper Dominik Greif against Real Madrid.
Key midfielder Robert Navarro is anticipated to miss the match as he battles back from an injury he picked up on March 2 against Alaves.
Abdon Prats, Chiquinho and Manu Morlanes are all questionable for this fixture.
Possible lineups:
Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Vallejo, Asencio, F Garcia; Bellingham, Modric; Guler, B Diaz, Endrick; Mbappe
Mallorca: Roman; Maffeo, Valjent, Raillo, Mojica; Mascarell, Samu; Asano, D Rodriguez, Darder; Muriqi
‘Not over yet’: Ancelotti on title race
“Every match against Mallorca is a battleground – intense and fiercely contested. Despite some key players being sidelined, we are prepared to field a formidable lineup. Our aim is to triumph in these final three games. The league battle is not over yet, and conceding to our adversaries is not an option. We’re determined to conclude this challenging season on a victorious note.”