Madrid's forward Vinicius Jr. expected to regain elite status under Alonso's management.

Real Madrid Prepare for Mallorca Clash

Carlo Ancelotti has made a strong start to his second spell as Real Madrid coach, keeping clean sheets in his first two LaLiga games of the 2022/23 season. This impressive feat places him among an esteemed group of coaches, joining the likes of Baltasar Albeniz, Jose Villalonga, Luis Carniglia, John Toshack, Jose Antonio Camacho, Jose Mourinho, Rafa Benitez, and Jose Villalonga (yes, two Jose Villalongas!) in achieving this feat.

The focus, however, is not just on the defence. Real Madrid's attacker, Vinicius Junior, is a key player in their plans. Despite being dropped to the bench for the second game of the season, Vinicius started the first game and played a significant role last term, featuring in 52 games across all competitions and scoring 21 goals.

Vinicius has a particular affinity for matches against Mallorca, having been involved in five goals in nine LaLiga encounters against them, scoring three goals and providing two assists. In four home games against Mallorca, he has netted two goals and provided one assist. Alonso, the coach, is confident about Vinicius' contribution, expressing his belief that the young player will play a key role for the team, both on the pitch and in the dressing room.

Real Madrid is heavily favoured to win against Mallorca this Saturday, with an Opta win probability of 75.3%. The team's style of play has become more deliberate under Alonso, with the highest number of build-up attacks in LaLiga this season, totalling 22. This strategic approach has yielded positive results, with Real Madrid winning 23 games in all competitions since the start of the 2022/23 season, the highest tally by any Spanish top-flight side.

Mallorca, however, will not go down without a fight. They will need quality service from the wide areas to have a chance of upsetting Los Blancos. Johan Mojica, Mallorca's defender, has been a consistent threat in this regard, making more crosses into the box in LaLiga than any other defender except Jesus Areso and Miguel Gutierrez, with a total of 152 crosses.

Alonso remains coy about Vinicius' starting position for the upcoming game, but he has been pleased with the Brazilian's performance off the bench in the second game. Regardless of where Vinicius lines up, Real Madrid fans can expect a thrilling encounter as they aim for a third consecutive victory against Mallorca.

However, off the pitch, Real Madrid is dealing with a different challenge. LaLiga has filed an official complaint against Real Oviedo due to racial abuse towards Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe at last week's game. The league is taking a firm stance against such behaviour, and it remains to be seen how this situation will unfold.

With 25 players from the first team and some from the Castilla team in the dressing room, Real Madrid is well-equipped to handle whatever challenges come their way. Whether it's on the pitch or off, the team is ready to face whatever the season throws at them.

Madrid's forward Vinicius Jr. expected to regain elite status under Alonso's management.