Real Madrid vs Real Betis preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Real Madrid will aim to recover from their disappointing draw against Las Palmas to record their second victory in the Laliga when they host Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday.

Following their 2-0 victory over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup, there was likely an anticipation that Madrid would have a strong start to their first La Liga season with Kylian Mbappe in the squad.

We are merely three games into the new La Liga season, making it too soon to form definitive conclusions about any of the 20 teams in the division.

One thing is certain, however: Madrid have yet to impress. With only one victory so far, Carlo Ancelotti’s squad has allowed Barcelona to establish a four-point lead ahead of the weekend.

On Saturday, the Catalan club have the opportunity to widen their lead over their arch-rivals to seven points when they host Valladolid. This would place Madrid under pressure to respond the next day. Although it’s early in the campaign, Los Blancos will not want to fall too far behind the top spot.

Madrid began their title defence with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Mallorca at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix.

However, they recovered by delivering a solid second-half display, leading to a 3-0 victory at home against newly promoted side, Real Valladolid.

Their winning run was quickly halted by Las Palmas during Thursday’s encounter in Gran Canaria. Despite Vinicius Junior converting a penalty to equalize after Alberto Moleiro’s early goal, Madrid couldn’t secure a winner and had to settle for a 1-1 draw in their second consecutive away game.

The outcome extended Madrid’s unbeaten league streak to 35 matches, but sitting in fifth place and trailing early leaders Barcelona by four points is likely a disappointment.

Los Blancos will aim to get back on track in Sunday’s home game, with Mbappe eager to net his first La Liga goal after three attempts. However, securing all three points won’t be simple, particularly since Madrid has had to settle for draws in their last three encounters with Betis.

Betis have had a tough start to the season, juggling their league commitments with the Europa Conference League playoff round. Manuel Pellegrini’s team kicked off their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Champions League participants Girona, followed by a 2-0 win over Ukrainian side Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih in Slovakia.

After a goalless draw with Alaves in their second-leg match, Betis secured a commanding 3-0 victory in Thursday’s return leg against Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, courtesy of Aitor Ruibal’s goal and Abde Ezzalzouli’s brace. This 5-0 aggregate win has paved the way for Betis to make their fourth consecutive appearance in the main draw of a UEFA competition.

Los Verdiblancos will now aim to preserve their unbeaten start to the season in Sunday’s away match. Given that four of their last five away league encounters with Madrid ended in goalless draws, Betis may feel confident about their chances of earning at least a point.

While Betis might be content with securing a point, they will undoubtedly be dreaming of securing their first victory at the Santiago Bernabeu since their 2-0 triumph in May 2019.

Real Madrid Vs Real Betis match details

• Date: Sunday, 1 September, 2024
• Location: Madrid, Spain
• Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
• Kick-off time: 08:30 PM BST, 07:30 PM UTC, 03:30 PM ET, 09:30 PM CEST
• Referee: Javier Alberola Rojas
• Assistant referees: Rodríguez Moreno, Bueno Mateo
• VAR: Muñiz Ruiz
• Fourth official: Tárraga Lajara
• Tickets: Supporters can buy Real Madrid tickets through the club exchange or via reputable resellers such as Seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head

• These two sides have met on 56 occasions with Madrid holding the superior advantage with 27 while Betis have only managed 10 victories.

• This fixture is one of the most drawn fixtures in Laliga with 19 draws recorded between them.

• Four of the five goals Madrid have scored this season have come in the second half

• Betis has been a tough side for Madrid to beat in recent years with Ancelotti managing only one victory against the Sevilla-based club in five matches.

• Los Verdiblancos have played out a goalless draw in four of their last five away matches against Madrid.

• Madrid are on a 35-match unbeaten run in Laliga.

• Betis’ last victory against Madrid came in 2020, while their last victory away from home against Sunday’s opponents came in 2019.

Team news

Ancelotti will once again be without his midfield talisman, Jude Bellingham — who suffered a leg injury before their recent home match against Valladolid.

David Alaba is progressing in his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury but won’t feature against Betis.

Eduardo Camavinga is undergoing rehabilitation after suffering an injury during preparations for the UEFA Super Cup. The Frenchman remains Madrid’s longest absentee and won’t be available for about two months.

Centre-back, Jesus Vallejo is uncertain for Sunday’s match, having missed the last two games due to an injury.

After a disappointing draw against Las Palmas, Ancelotti might choose to reinstate Dani Carvajal, Arda Guler, and Rodrygo to the starting lineup after the trio impressed off the bench in their last clash.

For Betis, they’ll be without their left-footed centre-back, Nobel Mendy with Natan tipped to take his place.

Centre-forward, Cedric Bakambu and former Madrid midfielder, Isco are also doubts for this clash.

Marc Bartra, who missed Betis’ UEFA Europa Conference League clash against Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih is also doubtful for the trip to the Spanish capital.

Nabil Fekir’s time at the Estadio Benito Villamarín looks to come to an end after the 31-year-old accepted a transfer to United Arab Emirates side, Al-Jazira Club.

On a positive note for Pellegrini, centre-forward and dangerman, Chimy Avily is expected to recover from illness that kept him out of Los Verdiblancos’ European engagement last Thursday.

Predicted starting lineup

Real Madrid predicted starting lineup:

Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni; Rodrygo, Guler, Vinicius; Mbappe.

Real Betis predicted starting lineup:

Silva; Sabaly, Llorente, Natan, Perraud; Carvalho, Roca; Fornals, Ruibal, Ezzalzouli; Chimy.

Prediction

It hasn’t been a dream start for defending Laliga and UEFA Champions League winners, Madrid.

Sitting in fifth place after three match weeks isn’t an ideal position you’d expect the Galacticos to sit in, especially when their archrivals, Barcelona are holding a four-point lead at the top of the table.

The clash on Sunday has to be a must-win fixture for Los Blancos and doing so against Pellegrini’s side that has been a torn in the flesh in recent years are indications that this clash will be a tough one.

Betis on the other hand are good at keeping teams at bay but their attacking output hasn’t been impressive with only one goal scored so far.

Their inability to score goals might pose a problem for them as a rampaging Madrid attack led by Vinicius, Mbappe and Rodrigo will peg them back for most duration of the match.

We expect Madrid to attack more, and make more attempts, against a Betis side that are not so sharp on the counter.

We’re predicting a 3-1 win for Madrid.