Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Mallorca | La Liga GW 36 | OneFootball

Four defeats to Barcelona in one season is something unprecedented for Real Madrid in history. Yet, it is thoroughly deserved for there is less than 90 minutes of the 360 El Clasico minutes this season where Real Madrid looked dominant.

Carlo Ancelotti has been unable to instill any ideology into the current team and they have continually looked out of their depth this season. The 4-3 defeat at the weekend only rubbed salt in their wounds and reminded them of how much they must improve.

Tonight, Los Blancos return to the field, this time against Mallorca in the 36th Matchday of La Liga which could well be the final one with the title race still alive. To keep it open, however, Ancelotti’s side must take three points.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Mallorca.

Stripped to the bare bones

There is only one talking point worth discussing in depth ahead of Real Madrid’s game against Mallorca and it is the extent to which Ancelotti’s squad is being tested for depth for the game.

Los Blancos have already been in neck-deep water in defence for a while now, especially with Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Antonio Rudiger all ruled out through injury.

For the Mallorca clash, however, even makeshift defender Aurelien Tchouameni finds himself unavailable through suspension leaving Real Madrid with only Raul Asencio as a guaranteed starter.

The manager, in fact, must call upon one of Jacobo Ramon or Jesus Vallejo as a starting option on the night in what is seriously an unfavourable situation.

Through the middle of the park, Eduardo Camavinga continues to be unavailable and with Lucas Vazquez also suffering a blow in El Clasico, Federico Valverde might have to play at right-back on the night.

In the final third, Vincius Jr. and Rodrygo Goes are both unavailable for the game against Jagoba Arrasate’s men and it remains to be seen how Ancelotti copes with the situation. After all, he barely has enough players to put up a starting XI.

Locking in on the Pichichi

Pichichi trophy in sight. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Kylian Mbappe was one of the only bright spots in Real Madrid’s recent defeat to Barcelona, for he scored a hat-trick on the night which went in vain.

The Frenchman was the only Real Madrid attacker who looked inspired in the final third and pushed for a win even in moments when the team looked out of its depth.

In return, however, his teammates let him down and saw him end up on the losing side. The silver lining for him, however, was the significant boost he earned in the race for the Pichichi award.

Mbappe’s hat-trick in the recent game saw him leapfrog Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski to 27 goals, taking him two clear of the Polish star. The veteran striker, however, has returned from injury and is expected to play Barcelona’s game midweek.

One of Real Madrid’s objectives on the night, given that there is not much more to fight for, must be aiding Mbappe move closer to the top-scorer award in his first season at the club.

The two-goal cushion with three games to go, after all, is not unsurmountable for Lewandowski and every goal he scores from here on will only take him closer to that accolade.

Close to the official end of the title race

Real Madrid’s defeat to Barcelona in the recent El Clasico only confirmed a series of changes that have come about in recent days as part of the aftermath. After all, the result all but eliminated Real Madrid from contention for the league title.

Los Blancos, after the defeat at the weekend, are seven points behind Barcelona with three games to go and are simply hanging on by a thread in the title race. For them to clinch it from here on would need nothing short of a miracle.

Real Madrid’s result, however, will decide the viability of the remote possibility that the team still has in case Barcelona lose to Espanyol. To capitalize on that, however, Los Blancos must take all three points against an inspired Mallorca.

Should the Merengues lose tonight, Barcelona will be crowned champions without even kicking the ball and that is far from what Real Madrid will want. After all, it is in their best interest to finish the season on a high.

Will tonight’s result for Ancelotti’s men see the title race mathematically closed or will Real Madrid hold on and throw the die to Barcelona’s hand once more? Only time will tell.