Real Madrid will travel to Real Betis in search of three important points as they look to stay alive in the La Liga title race.
Real Betis are all set to host Real Madrid in the league on Sunday night. Los Blancos will look to keep themselves alive in the title race with their 17th win of the season, while the home team will look to push for a UEFA Champions League spot.
Real Betis are currently fifth in the league. They have accumulated 40 points in their 23 matches. It has been a decent season for Manuel Pellegrini’s team. And, they are well on course to fight for a top-four finish. However, the home team have the tough challenge of dealing with Carlo Ancelotti’s men.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men are just two points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid. And a win over Real Madrid will surely give them a big boost in their quest for Champions League football.
Their recent track record in the league has been sensational. Pellegrini’s team are on a three-match winning streak. But, when we look at their last five games, they only have nine points. Something they need to work on if they want to finish in the top four.
Real Betis are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-2 win over bottom-placed Elche. It was not their most clinical performance, but they managed to get the job done. This time around, they will have to be at their best if they want to take down the visitors.
Meanwhile, the visitors have been inconsistent of late. They have not been able to deliver the desired results on a consistent basis and as a result and are 7 points behind league leaders Barcelona. Real Madrid have won 16 league games in the ongoing season and are second with 52 points to their name.
The league leaders have a seven-point lead. And any slip-up from Ancelotti’s men would gift Barcelona the title. Los Blancos cannot afford to drop any more points, especially not at this stage of the season. The Catalan giants dropped points in their last league fixture, and it has given some hope to Real Madrid. But there is still a long way to go.
The Merengues are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Barcelona in the Copa del Rey. Their last league outing was a 1-1 draw against neighbours Atletico Madrid, who were down to ten men.
Real Madrid have not been able to get the job done of late. They have been inconsistent and have only won three out of their last five league fixtures. Los Blancos have failed to win their last two fixtures in all competitions and will look to return to winning ways against Los Verdiblancos. It is going to be an exciting clash between two teams who will push for all three points. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Real Betis
Real Betis have recently suffered a huge blow as star man Nabil Fekir has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Manuel Pellegrini will also be without the services of Sergio Canales and Juan Cruz who are out injured. However, they do have a boost, as Edgar Gonzalez and Rui Silva have returned to the squad after missing out their previous encounter.
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Our call-up for #RealBetisRealMadrid! pic.twitter.com/yhUU4EXvfe
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) March 4, 2023
The Real Betis boss is expected to start with the 4-2-3-1 formation. Silva is expected to return in goal for this fixture against Los Blancos. Aitor Ruibal will pair up with Juan Miranda as the full-backs on the night.
Meanwhile, German Pezzella and Luiz Felipe be the centre-back pairing. The defence will have to be at their best to stop a high-flying Real Madrid attack that has been scoring goals for fun in the ongoing season.
William Carvalho and Guido Rodriguez will start as the double pivots in front of the back line. The in-demand Brazilian winger Luiz Henrique and Juanmi will play out wide in the midfield. Ayoze Perez is likely to drop back into the attacking midfielder’s role while Borja Iglesias will start as the lone forward.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Silva; Ruibal, Pezzella, Felipe, Miranda; Carvalho, Rodriguez; Henrique, Perez, Juanmi; Iglesias
Real Madrid
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti will be without the services of Ferland Mendy and David Alaba who are out injured. Meanwhile, they have another big blow as Luka Modric is suspended for this fixture after picking up a booking in the Madrid derby.
📋✅ Our squad for the match 🆚 @RealBetis_en!#RealBetisRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/ihm78528nF
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 4, 2023
Apart from the three, he is likely to have all other players at his disposal. Ancelotti will once again go ahead with the tried and tested 4-3-3 formation. Thibaut Courtois will start in goal. Nacho will continue at left-back, while Dani Carvajal will play in his usual right-back slot.
Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger will resume their duties in the centre of the defence. Aurelien Tchouameni is expected to start as the holding midfielder and he will have the support of in form duo of Dani Ceballos and Eduardo Camavinga.
The versatile Federico Valverde will take charge on the right flank, while Vinicius Junior will be on the left. Real Madrid’s marksman Karim Benzema will be leading the attack against Betis.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Ceballos, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
Key Stats
- Real Betis and Real Madrid have squared up against each other on 121 times in all competitions since 1932. Los Blancos have won 68 times while the hosts have won on 27 occasions.
- Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last five meetings against Real Betis. Carlo Ancelotti’s men have kept a clean sheet in three of these fixtures.
- Real Betis have only won one home game in all competitions in 2023.
- Los Blancos have won five out of their last six visits to the Benito Villamarín Stadium.
- Real Madrid have the best attack in the league having scored 47 goals in 23 league games.
Player to Watch
Dani Ceballos
Ceballos has managed to revive himself in the past few weeks. It has been a great season for the 26-year-old midfielder. While he was not really a regular ahead of the start of the season, it seems he has managed to go up Carlo Ancelotti’s pecking order.
The Spain international has seven goal contributions in the ongoing season. While those are average numbers, his impact on the field has been immense. He has forced his way into the Madrid midfield and is once again expected to be the man who can help Los Blancos overcome this challenge.
Prediction
Real Betis 1-3 Real Madrid
Real Betis are flying high in the ongoing season. They are on a three-match winning run in the league, and with Real Madrid struggling of late, one will expect the hosts to claim all three points at home.
However, Real Madrid are a team that can never be counted out. They might have slipped on occasions of late, but expect them to bounce back. They have the players to overpower Manuel Pellegrini’s team. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Los Blancos.
Ancelloti is not trusted in his classification of players. He changes his tactics indecently. He is an unreliable coach.
I beg him to go out from Real Madrid before making us a mockry club.