Soccer
Prediction: Real Madrid to win 3-0
Best Odds: 14/1
Real Betis and Real Madrid will lock horns with each other in La Liga this week. The match between Manuel Pellegrini’s side and Alvaro Arbeloa’s team will be held at Estadio de La Cartuja and is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time on Friday.
Real Betis
Real Betis are a very ambitious club with a strong following who have played in major European competitions, such as the UEFA Champions League, and reached the final of the Conference League last season, which they lost to Chelsea.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side ended up as high as seventh in the La Liga table in the 2023-24 season and did better last season. Betis finished sixth in the standings last season, which led them to feature in the UEFA Europa League this campaign. They are currently fifth in the La Liga table with 46 points from 31 games.
Betis will take on Girona away from home in La Liga on Tuesday evening before facing Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja in the league on Friday evening. El Glorioso lost to Braga 4-2 in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie last week, which came after a 1-1 draw with Osasuna away from home in La Liga.
Team News:
Real Betis are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation against Real Madrid. Pau Lopez will be in goal for the home team and will have Hector Bellerin, Marc Bartra, Diego Llorente and Ricardo Rodriguez in front of him in defence. Pablo Fornals, Sofyan Amrabat and Alvaro Fidalgo will be the three midfielders. Antony, Cucho Hernandez and Abde Ezzalzouli will be the three forwards.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid are arguably the biggest club in the world and were expected to win La Liga and the UEFA Champions League this season. However, Los Blancos are staring at a trophyless season.
Madrid got knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Bayern Munich last week and are nine points behind leaders and defending champions Barcelona in second place in the La Liga table. Alvaro Arbeloa is in charge of the Madrid first team at the moment, but there is a distinct possibility that he will not be in the role next season.
Madrid will take on Alaves at Estadio Bernabeu in La Liga on Tuesday evening before facing Real Betis away from home at Estadio de La Cartuja in the league. Los Blancos lost 4-3 to Bayern Munich away from home at the Allianz Arena in Munich in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie last week. It came after a 1-1 draw with Girona at home in La Liga.
Team News:
Real Madrid are likely to line up in a 4-4-2 formation against Real Betis. Andriy Lunin will be in goal for Los Blancos and will have Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and Ferland Mendy in front of him in defence. Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde and Arda Guler will be the four midfielders. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior will lead the line for Los Blancos.
Key Factors to Consider
- Real Betis have not won any of their last 6 La Liga matches.
- Real Betis have won 11 of their 31 La Liga matches this season.
- Real Madrid have won 3 of their last 6 La Liga games.
- Kylian Mbappe has scored 23 goals and given 4 assists in 26 La Liga games for Real Madrid this season.
- Vinicius Junior has scored 11 goals and given 5 assists in 30 La Liga games for Real Madrid this season.
Conclusion
Real Betis are in woeful form at the moment, and Real Madrid are the better team. It is hard to see anything but a comfortable win for Los Blancos in this particular La Liga match.
Prediction: Real Madrid to win 3-0
Best Odds: 14/1
Read MoreJamie Jones