Thread: WorldSportHD LIVE: Real Madrid vs. Mallorca 1/23 @ 2:58 PM

Live FUTBOL: Spanish Primera Liga
WorldSport-HD: Sunday, January 23, at 2:58 PM EST

Real Madrid vs. Mallorca

A new episode of La Liga pre-game show is expected 30 minutes before the game (around 2:30 PM).

Please join our game-time discussion in this thread!

The show must go on!!!

We expect to have the game today despite all the News. So We will be here.

Yesterday Results Barcelona 3 - 0 Racing Santander

Today's Results: First Half El Madrigal Villarreal 0 - 0 Valencia On GolTV


Source

Real Madrid have to buck the trend of recent history when they take on Real Mallorca at the Bernabeu.

Should Barcelona defeat Racing Santander at the Nou Camp 24 hours earlier, Madrid will once again find themselves 10 points behind the Catalan side and under intense pressure to stay in touch.

And in the circumstances, Mallorca are the team Madrid would least like to see.

They may be second from bottom of the Primera Liga but the side now coached by Hector Cuper have an incredible recent record at the Bernabeu.

They are unbeaten in their last four league trips to the stadium with three wins and a draw to their name.

Last year saw them win a thriller 3-2 and the year before Madrid were on the wrong end of a 5-1 thrashing.

However, Madrid's defenders will also know that the architect of those wins, Samuel Eto'o, is no longer at the club following his move to Barcelona.

Even without Eto'o, Mallorca will provide a stiff test for a Madrid side seemingly in turmoil following Wednesday night's Copa del Rey exit at the hands of Segunda Division club Real Valladolid.

Coach Wanderley Luxemburgo rested a host of first-team regulars for the encounter and the replacements failed to shine as Madrid bowed out on away goals after Xavi More's late goal gave Valladolid a 1-1 draw.

Defender Roberto Carlos, who played the entire 90 minutes, pointed the finger of blame at the fringe players, whom he believes failed to rise to the occasion.

He said: "The substitutes in this team should show more motivation and more hunger to win. Everyone has to give the maximum and some of them didn't do that in the first half."

Raul, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo were all introduced at half-time against Valladolid and the big-name trio are set to return to the starting line-up against Mallorca with Luxemburgo's biggest headache concerning who will play in midfield.

The arrival of Thomas Gravesen means there is now intense competition in the centre of the field with the Danish international battling it out alongside Guti, David Beckham and Santiago Solari for a starting berth.

Luxemburgo may opt to rest either Luis Figo or Zidane and play Beckham on the right.

If not, Guti and Solari are the likely two to miss out and will share bench duty alongside Michael Owen, whose goal in midweek will not move him ahead of mis-firing Raul in the pecking order.

Despite the setback against Valladolid, Ronaldo is optimistic Madrid can still challenge for the league title.

The Brazilian said: "What happened on Wednesday is something that can always happen to you.

"The coach put his faith in the substitutes and it didn't work out.

"It is not going to be easy for us to win the league, but we are only seven points behind and that is nothing."

The clash with Mallorca takes on extra significance for Ronaldo as he comes up against former boss Cuper, with whom he had a stormy relationship when the pair were at Internazionale.

Cuper's primary aim this weekend will not be to seek revenge on Ronaldo but to help his side pick up much-needed points.

The Balearic Island club are in the relegation zone and only lead bottom-side Numancia on goal difference.

Former Juventus defender Mark Iuliano is set to make his debut for Mallorca while striker Luis Garcia is certain to be motivated against a club at which he was never given a chance to prove himself.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone there for one last game. I'm sorry to see VOOM go - thanks to all the moderators, producers, and announcers from VOOM who've help put these games on, and/or participated in the forum here to help make those of us who've watched feel like we had friends watching with us.

-F

It is a final: Villarreal 2 - 1 Valencia. El "submarino amarillo" defeated Valencia. Putting Valencia even further away from Barcelona.

Will try and join later for what I hope will NOT be the final gathering

La Liga Report is on. Hi everyone! Welcome back to our game-time discussion!

For those new to SatelliteGuys.US, we've been doing these game-time live chats for every single live match ever since WorldSport started doing live broadcasts back in February 2004! If my calculations are correct, we've done it 50 times so far!

The game starts in a few minutes. Don't miss it!

Great La Liga Report Summary. I enjoy them a whole lot. 19 games left can anyone make a move against FC Barcelona? Game is on.

And no Fog