Real Madrid and Real Betis name XIs for crunch meeting | OneFootball

La Liga title hopefuls Real Madrid will look to once again close the gap between themselves and bitter rival Barcelona as they welcome Real Betis to the Spanish capital.

In the wake of Barcelona's derby win over Espanyol yesterday, Xabi Alonso's Los Blancos are now seven points adrift of Blaugrana, but have a chance to extend their recent winning run to three on the spin against Manuel Pellegrini's tricky Verdiblancos.

Betis, who have only tasted defeat on three occasions in the Spanish top flight this season, smashed Getafe 4-0 in their last league outing, but sit nine points outside of the Champions League places.

Here is how the two sides will line up...

Will it be a home win to ring in 2026 for Real Madrid, or does Betis have it in them to kick-start the calendar year with a massive away result?

📸 Florencia Tan Jun - 2026 Getty Images