Real Madrid will look to make it four La Liga wins on the bounce on Saturday when they travel to Benito Villamarin to face Real Betis.
Los Blancos registered a 2-0 success over Granada at Santiago Bernabeu last weekend, with the result leaving them top of the table on 38 points from 15 matches this season. The result against Granada made it five straight wins across all competitions for the La Liga giants.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men have won their last three league games against Valencia, Cadiz and Granada and will be in a buoyant mood heading into the game at Real Betis, who won 2-1 against Villanovense in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday evening.
Real Madrid Team News
Real Madrid suffered a big blow last weekend when Dani Carvajal suffered a calf injury against Granada, ruling him out for the remainder of 2023. He joins Vinicius Jr, Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Guler on the sidelines.
Luka Modric has missed Real Madrid’s last two matches with a thigh problem but returned to team training on Wednesday, which provides some hope that he could return against Real Betis.
Predicted Real Madrid lineup vs Real Betis (4-3-1-2)
Goalkeeper
Andriy Lunin has performed extremely well in goal in recent games, keeping Kepa on the bench. He is expected to start against Real Betis.
Defence
Carlo Ancelotti could revert to a 4-3-1-2 formation after using a 4-4-2 against Granada. He will be forced to make one change at the back, with Lucas Vazquez deputising for the injured Dani Carvajal at right-back. Meanwhile, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy are set to retain their places in defence.
The Real Madrid backline must stay tight and focused throughout the game to keep Real Betis attackers at bay on Saturday.
Midfield
Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde and Brahim Diaz will form Real’s engine room. They will bring calmness and solidity to the midfield whilst allowing in-form Jude Bellingham to operate freely from the advanced No.10 role.
An injury-hit Los Blancos will look to Bellingham for inspiration again, with the England international adapting to the demands of La Liga with 11 goals and two assists in 13 games. Luka Modric returned to training earlier this week and could be a part of Real’s substitutes bench at Betis.
Attack
Joselu and Rodrygo will form the two-pronged attack for the visiting side. The duo will look to combine well in the final third and cause problems for the Betis defence with their movement, speed and shooting.
With Bellingham operating in the No.10 role, Joselu and Rodrygo will get opportunities to score.