La Liga champions Real Madrid are all set to host Real Betis in their final La Liga game of the 2023/24 season on Saturday.
Real Madrid have already clinched the league title and they are now all set to face Real Betis who have secured UEFA Europa Conference League football for next season. The visitors are certain to finish seventh irrespective of the result of this fixture making it a dead rubber.
Los Blancos have been a dominant force throughout the season. They have only lost twice across all competitions and both their defeats have come at the hands of Atletico Madrid. The last defeat came at the start of 2024 and they have been unbeaten since.
With the La Liga title secured, the focus is on the Champions League title. Ancelotti has been rotating his squad in the final fixtures of the season as he looks to prepare his team for the UEFA Champions League final. They played out a draw in their last outing and will be eager to return to winning way before the all-important fixture at Wembley.
Real Betis have secured a seventh-placed finish and are all set to feature in the Europa Conference League next season. With just one game to go, they are four points behind the sixth-placed team and have a four-point advantage over the eighth-placed team. As a result, this fixture will have no impact on their season.
They have been a bit inconsistent of late having only won two out of their last five games. They are heading into this one on the back of a defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad and will be looking to end the season on a high with a win over the champions. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
The home team will be without the services of David Alaba and Aurelien Tchouameni. Carlo Ancelotti rotated his eleven for their last outing, and he could look to start with a full-strength team for this one with the UEFA Champions League final around the corner.
The Italian tactician will stick to the 4-4-2 formation, with Thibaut Courtois starting ahead of Andriy Lunin. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy will be the full-backs, while Antonio Rudiger and Nacho Fernandez will be in the heart of the defence.
Toni Kroos, who will be playing the final La Liga game of his career, will feature in the centre of the park alongside, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde. The trio will look to control the tempo of the game.
Jude Bellingham will be the attacking midfielder, while Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior will be the two forwards up top. The trio will look to get on the scoresheet and keep their incredible run going.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior
Real Betis
Real Betis have quite a few absentees to deal with heading into the final game of the season. Isco will miss out on a reunion having picked up an injury a week back. Apart from him, Marc Bartra and Cedric Bakambu are definitely out injured.
Meanwhile, the availability of Guido Rodriguez, German Pezzella, Chimy Avila, Abner Vinicius, Pablo Fornals, and William Carvalho is doubtful. They do have a boost as Aitor Ruibal is back from suspension.
The visitors will go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Claudio Bravo will be in goal. Aitor Ruibal and Juan Miranda will be the full-backs for them, while Chadi Riad and Sokratis Papastathopoulos will feature in the heart of the defence.
Marc Roca and Johnny Cardoso will feature in the centre of the park as the double pivot. They will look to shield the back line and not allow the Real Madrid midfielders to dominate proceedings. Nabil Fekir will feature as the attacking midfielder, while Ayoze Pérez and Abde Ezzalzouli will start out wide on the flanks. Willian Jose will lead the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Bravo; Ruibal, Sokratis, Riad, Miranda; Roca, Cardoso; Ezzalzouli, Fekir, Perez; Jose
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have scored at least four goals in each of their last three league outings.
- Real Betis have been winless in their last seven outings against Ancelotti’s team.
- Madrid have accumulated 94 points so far which is their highest tally since they hit the 100 mark under Jose Mourinho back in 2011/12.
- Los Blancos are on the longest unbeaten run in La Liga history having been unbeaten in their last 31 outings.
- Real Betis managed to come out with a point in the reverse fixture which ended 1-1.
Player to Watch
Toni Kroos
Kroos is gearing up for his final La Liga fixture with Real Madrid. The 34-year-old German international has announced his retirement from football after the end of the Euros. The former Bayern Munich star has nine goal contributions this season and will look to add to it in the final fixture of the league season. While his last game for Los Blancos will be the UEFA Champions League final, this is going to be his last in front of the home fans, and he will be eager to end things on a high.
Prediction
Real Madrid 2-0 Real Betis
Real Madrid might be heading into the game against Real Betis one on the back of a 4-4 draw against Villarreal. But they will still be favourites for this one given the kind of form they have been throughout the season.
With the visitors heading into this one on the back of a defeat, they will look to return to winning ways. But it is not going to be easy to take down the champions in their own backyard. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 2-0 win for the team in white.
