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When Real Madrid travels to Mallorca on Sunday, they'll be aiming to get within two points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Los Blancos enter the match off a 2-0 win over Valencia on Thursday night, while Mallorca's previous game was on January 28 and ended in a 2-0 loss to lowly Cadiz.
After finishing second in the Segunda Division and earning promotion to La Liga, Mallorca ended 16th previous season and is looking to repeat that feat for the first time since 2013.
The Pirates are having a good season so far, as they are now in 10th position in the standings with 25 points after 19 games played, six points above the relegation zone, and just four points behind seventh-placed Rayo Vallecano.
With just 15 goals scored this season, Mallorca has one of the league's worst offenses. However, their defense has been solid, allowing only 18 goals against, putting them near the center of the division despite their offensive struggles.
Defeat to Cadiz on Saturday dropped Javier Aguirre's squad to a dismal.500 in their previous four matches across all competitions.
While 14 points from nine matches in front of their home supporters is decent, Mallorca's home record has been terrible this season, and they have lost each of their previous four La Liga meetings against their opponents this weekend.
Both of Real Madrid's goals, scored by Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior in the second half, were enough to secure a 2-0 win for the defending champions against Valencia on Thursday night.
As a result of the victory, Los Blancos now have 45 points, five points behind leaders Barcelona after the same number of matches (19), but they will have the opportunity to close the gap to two points by the end of this match, as Xavi's side doesn't play again until later in the evening, against Sevilla.
Carlo Ancelotti's squad does not have much wiggle space in the standings right now owing to Barcelona's form, but they will be going for their 15th La Liga win of the season on Sunday.
Despite having the second-best away record in La Liga this season (24 points from 10 games), both of Real Madrid's defeats in the 2022-23 Spanish Primera Division versus Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal came on the road.
This is a crucial time in the season for Los Blancos, as they will be competing in the Club World Cup next week before returning to league play on February 18 against Osasuna, just three days before traveling to Liverpool for the first leg of their last-16 Champions League game.
