La Liga Preview: Mallorca vs Real Madrid | Pepe & Guti fit

La Liga - 05/04/08 - 22:00 CET | ONO Estadi

Bernd Schuster's men will travel to Palma to take on Mallorca tomorrow night at the ONO Estadi. Last weekend, Los Blancos played superbly and beat Sevilla 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium which kept them leaders with six points ahead of second place, Villarreal.

Both of midfielder Guti and central-defender Pepe have recovered from their respective injuries and are ready to play. However, Balboa, Soldado, Drenthe and Salgado won't feature as they have been left-out for coaching decisions.

Mallorca have recently beat Valencia 3-0 at the later stadium which proves that they are a tough team especially at their stadium which has been always complicated for Real Madrid.

Bernd Schuster gave his press conference today and here is what he had to say about the game:
Does the team want revenge against Mallorca tomorrow?

We've faced them in the King's Cup and La Liga. Their stadium is a complicated venue for us, but we have to learn from our good performance against Sevilla. We must have a streak of victories to stay at the top of the table until the end of the season.

Guti, Sneijder and Gago were together in midfield last week. Is that what you want for the team?

We played at a high level in practically every position last week. That's why some things seemed easier. We have the possibility of using different alternatives. We've played similarly in other fixtures. These three men create chances and give good passes... The strikers are taking advantage of that.

Will you greet Gregorio Manzano?

I still have a good relationship with him. It's as it was before the King's Cup. What happened is typical of knock-out stages, but I think we proved it was all over when the match finished. That's professionalism. This isn't to say that we don't get along. On the contrary, I admire him much because he's done a great job both at Mallorca and at other clubs. I will have no problem with shaking his hand and congratulating him after the match if need be.

How large a cushion would you like to have for the Real Madrid-Barcelona game?

I don't even think about that, only about tomorrow. I don't care where we will have to win the League, be it in Zaragoza or against Levante... Anything can happen. We want to resolve the situation we are in to avoid suffering until the very last game.

Do you still have faith in Diarra for the remainder of the season and for the following campaign?

He will be as important in the future as he is now. Diarra takes up the same position as Gago when the latter can't play. It is important for us to have two players for that position, even if only one of them plays. The fact that Diarra isn't a starter now doesn't mean he's lost his place on the team. The type of game determines this many times. He is still as important as ever.

Is Robinho 100% in form?

He hardly played against Sevilla and that affects a player much. It is nothing negative, but it is noticeable. I think he is in good shape, but I think Robben did a very good job the other day. I didn't want Robinho to do all that hard work against Alves. It's the same as the Gago and Diarra situation; we have two options. Having both men gives me peace of mind.

I think Schuster should start with the same lineup he used against Sevilla with the exception of Robben who should be replaced with Robinho.

Also with Pepe's return, this could mean that he would partner Cannavaro in the center which allows Heinze to play as a left-back and Ramos as a right-one.

For more thoughts on who should start and who should not, check out the match's preview thread at our Real Madrid forums.
Here is my lineup:
Casillas, Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze, Gago, Sneijder, Guti, Robnho, Rau'l & Higuain

Prediction:
If Real play as they did last week and keep ball possession I believe we will win. Rau'l is in a good form these days and we won't notice the absence of Ruud, so my prediction is 2-0 in our favor.

What is your lineup, views and prediction?

Hala Madrid!