LaLiga14 Sept 20261 minute read

Mourinho Questions Rivals' Penalty Luck Ahead of Elche Clash

Real Madrid boss José Mourinho pointed out penalty decisions going the way of rivals Barcelona and Atlético Madrid.

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Mourinho points to rivals' penalty luck

José Mourinho has questioned the penalty decisions given to Real Madrid's main title rivals over the weekend. The manager joked about the situation during his press conference on Monday.

Barcelona secured a 4-2 win against Levante on Sunday. Lamine Yamal scored a penalty after going down under a challenge from defender Aïssa Mandi. Atlético Madrid also got a 3-0 win against Real Sociedad. They opened the scoring with an Alejandro Grimaldo penalty, and later got another penalty for a handball by Job Ochieng. Real Sociedad manager Pellegrino Matarazzo disputed that late decision.

Mourinho noticed the lack of media attention on these calls. "No questions about the penalties?" Mourinho asked journalists. "Strange, isn't it?"

Real Madrid stars set to play

Real Madrid face Elche on Tuesday, and Mourinho does not plan to rest his key players. Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Vinícius Júnior are all expected to play.

The manager explained that he has great faith in his players. He noted that with only two days between matches, they must listen to the medical staff and look at training data before making a decision. He added that if there are no issues, he wants to play them.

Last week, Mourinho also questioned a refereeing decision. He wanted Mbappé to retake a missed penalty during Real Madrid's defeat to Real Betis. Spain's refereeing committee later backed the referee's decision.

Mourinho also praised young midfielder Arda Güler after his strong display against Rayo Vallecano. He said the player has incredible quality, vision, and creativity. Mourinho described his potential as "top, top."

What it means for the next game

Elche vs Real Madrid (LaLiga, Tue, 15 Sep): Elche win 12%, draw 18%, Real Madrid win 70%; expected goals 0.97 to 2.47. Our safest pick: Over 2.5 goals.

Atlético Madrid vs Osasuna (LaLiga, Wed, 16 Sep): Atlético Madrid win 64%, draw 22%, Osasuna win 14%; expected goals 2.02 to 0.84. Our safest pick: Atlético Madrid draw no bet.