Real Betis vs Real Madrid – Match preview | OneFootball

Just two days after earning a hard fought win over Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, Real Madrid turn their attention back to defending their La Liga crown. Carlo Ancelotti’s men are back on the road for the second time this week as they face Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin on matchday 26 of the Spanish top flight in their bid to secure three more important points.

In order to clinch victory, Los Blancos will need their lesser used midfielders to step up as Dani Ceballos, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham have all been ruled out. They join the team’s long-term absentees, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao in the absentees for the match against the Andalusians.

Thibaut Courtois, however, has made the squad, as has Kylian Mbappe, after the duo did not feature against Sociedad in Wednesday’s cup fixture.

Real Betis also have a number of absentees for the game. Hector Bellerin and Pablo Fornals are doubtful owing to muscular problems, whereas Giovani Lo Celso, Marc Roca, William Carvalho and Abde Ezzalzouli are almost certain to miss out. Lo Celso is the Seville-based side’s top scorer in the league this season with seven goals and therefore, his absence will be an important miss for Saturday’s hosts.

With a win against Girona last week at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid returned to winning ways in La Liga after three straight winless results. Luka Modric and Vinicius Junior were on target last weekend, whereas Real Betis won 2-1 against Getafe.

Former Merengue superstar Isco bagged a brace for them, and though in-form man Antony received a red card, a successful appeal by Betis means his suspension is rescinded and the Brazilian will play against Los Blancos.

Real Madrid’s record against Betis does not provide for good reading in the recent past. They have won just two games in the previous six between the two sides with the other four ending in draws. The last time the defending Spanish champions won at the Benito Villamarin was in August 2021, when Carvajal’s volley was the point of difference.

That said, the Whites did win the reverse game earlier in the season as Mbappe bagged his first couple of goals to lead his side to a 2-0 result in September.

An important March for Real Madrid gets underway with the visit to Real Betis and they will be looking to start a potentially season-defining month on an auspicious note, two days before taking on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League round of 16. The standout fixture of the upcoming La Liga matchday will be a delight to watch and Ancelotti will hope his charges can pick up some crucial points.