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Real Madrid have
had to deal with a number of unwelcome distractions this week including
speculation that coach Jose Mourinho was unhappy and thinking of
leaving at the end of the season.

Last weekend’s
shock 1-1 draw at bottom club Almeria, which left them four points
adrift of leaders Barcelona, was hardly the best preparation for
Sunday’s potentially tricky La Liga clash at home to Real Mallorca.
Goalkeeper and captain, Iker Casillas, moved to quash the reports about
Mourinho’s possible exit, which came the same day the club clashed with
Spain’s soccer federation over an article on the their website that
mentioned Mourinho. “He wants to stay and (the club) wants him to
stay,” World Cup winner Casillas said in a radio interview on
Wednesday. “I am saying that and I am the captain. We have a young team
and he knows that it can bear fruit over the long term. He is delighted
with the city and with the club.”

Real issued a
sharply worded statement on Wednesday criticising the federation for
what the club called a lack of respect and objectivity.

They were
responding to an article saying the referee for Real’s King’s Cup match
at Atletico on Thursday would be “under the close scrutiny of Mourinho,
who feels he has been mistreated by officials in recent league
matches.” The line was later removed from the piece and the federation
said it had been written by an intern and was not official policy.

Clear penalties

The outspoken
Mourinho has been critical of some La Liga officials since joining from
Inter Milan at the end of last season; and on Wednesday repeated his
view that Real had been denied what he felt were two clear penalties at
Almeria. He has also expressed frustration at the club’s failure to
find a replacement for injured striker, Gonzalo Higuain, and local
media have reported his relationship with director general Jorge
Valdano has become strained.

Mallorca, coached
by former Real midfielder, Michael Laudrup, will be depleted by injury
and suspensions on Sunday but are no doubt hoping their opponent’s
off-field distractions will improve their chances of causing an upset.
The Balearic Islanders held Real to a 0-0 draw in Mallorca on the
opening day of the season. Barca booked their place in the last four of
the King’s Cup on Wednesday despite having their club record 28-match
unbeaten run ended by second-division leaders Real Betis. Coach Pep
Guardiola, who turned 40 this week, rested a number of first-team
players and although his side were beaten 3-1 on the night they went
through 6-3 on aggregate and host Racing Santander in La Liga on
Saturday (1900). “It takes a lot to go 28 matches without losing,”
Guardiola told a news conference. “We have to lose to appreciate
things. This result shows how hard everything is and was good for
putting us in our place.”

Villarreal, nine
points behind Real in third, host Real Sociedad on Sunday (2000) and
fourth-placed Valencia, two adrift of Villarreal, are at home to Malaga
on Saturday (2100).