Madrid Eyes Mallorca Win, Dortmund Seeks Monchengladbach Redemption

Real Madrid will be aiming to bounce back from their midweek Champions League drama when they host Real Mallorca in La Liga action on Saturday. Carlo Ancelotti’s men were involved in a pulsating 3-3 draw with Manchester City in the first leg of their European quarter-final, but they cannot afford to dwell on that result with crucial league points at stake.

Despite the quick turnaround, Madrid are experts at managing their workload and should have enough in the tank to overcome Mallorca. Rotation is likely given their congested schedule, but the Spanish giants have coped admirably with injuries and fixture pile-ups all season, winning 23 of their 30 La Liga games so far.

They may not blow away Mallorca, but with only 20 league goals conceded this term, Madrid can grind out a disciplined victory. The visitors are hovering perilously above the relegation zone and could be feeling flat after last weekend’s Copa del Rey final defeat to Athletic Bilbao.

In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund will be seeking redemption when they travel to face Borussia Monchengladbach. It’s been a frustrating week for Dortmund, who followed up last Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Stuttgart with a 2-1 defeat against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Sebastien Haller’s late strike in Madrid did at least keep that tie alive, and Dortmund can return to winning ways against their Bundesliga rivals. Before their stutter, they had been on a five-game winning run that included a famous victory over Bayern Munich - their first in Der Klassiker since 2019.

Monchengladbach enjoyed a 3-1 win over Wolfsburg last weekend but have been inconsistent, posting just three wins in their last 15 league outings. With the bottom three not too far behind them, the hosts will be wary of Dortmund’s quality.

The visitors have particular motivation to make amends after their disappointments over the past week. If they can recapture the form that saw them sweep aside Bayern, this could be the spark to reignite their season across all fronts.