Real Madrid are ready to host Real Betis for their LaLiga fixture at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu. Star signing Kylian Mbappe has been the hot topic of town since his arrival and he needs to score some goals to silence his critics which expect him to shine in every game he plays for the Los Blancos. Talking about Kylian Mbappe's performance, the Italian coach further added that the French attacker caused a threat to the opponent's defence in the previous match.
"If you think about defensive work, Mbappe is the last one we have to consider. He's playing very well, he's caused a threat. He hasn't scored many goals, but he's moving around very well. There's no problem with adaptation. The focus is on defensive work and this should be collective, but obviously, a forward's work in defence has to be less committed because that's not his main role," he added.
Ahead of his side's clash against Real Betis in La Liga, Real Madrid Carlo Ancelotti said that the players are motivated to play well. Real Madrid are coming into this match after conceding a 1-1 draw against Las Palmas in the previous game week. Against Las Palmas, Vinicius Junior scored the lone goal for the Los Blancos.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Ancelotti said that the home fans will help since they will be playing at the Santiago Bernabeu. (Kylian Mbappe (Monaco To PSG) To Neymar (FC Barcelona To PSG): Most Expensive Transfers Ever In Football - In Pic)
"The fans will help us. We want to perform at our best. After a tough game against Las Palmas, the team is motivated to play well, to get back to playing well and to be as solid as before," Ancelotti was quoted by Real Madrid's official website as saying.
The head coach added that they have found few problems in the squad after the draw against Las Palmas, and want to make a few changes in the upcoming game.
"The preparation time for the games is adequate because we're used to playing with this schedule and fixing the problems as we've had before. We've talked about it, we've detected the problem and we want to produce a good response tomorrow," he added.
La Liga Preview: Real Madrid vs. Real Betis
The reigning La Liga champions kicked the campaign off with victory in the UEFA Super Cup but have since managed a single win over newly-promoted Real Valladolid. Their other outings have seen them held to 1-1 draws in the top flight by Mallorca and, most recently, Las Palmas.
Carlo Ancelotti's side can ill-afford any more slip-ups in the opening weeks of the season and a resolute Real Betis side are next up. Manuel Pellegrini's men are unbeaten in 2024/25 and have drawn four of their last five meetings with Madrid, including three goalless draws.
Real Madrid Team News and Predicted Lineup
Here is how Madrid could line up for the visit of Betis on Sunday.
Goalkeeper
GK: Thibaut Courtois - Madrid's patchy early season form has nothing to do with the Belgian stopper, who has produced some impressive displays to date. He'll be hopeful of a second successive home clean sheet.
Defenders
RB: Dani Carvajal - Lucas Vazquez replaced the veteran midweek and coped well but Carvajal should return this weekend. The Euro 2024 champion could be given a tricky time by Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, who scored a brace in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.
CB: Eder Militao - Madrid have been questionable defensively at times this season and Militao hasn't been at his imperious best. The centre-back is perhaps still working his way into form after last season's ACL injury.
CB: Antonio Rudiger - The former Chelsea defender has played every minute of every game for Madrid this season, highlighting his significance to a team that is still struggling with defensive cover despite having had a summer to recruit reinforcements.
LB: Ferland Mendy - Hooked at half-time against Las Palmas after a disappointing return from suspension. Ancelotti will offer him a chance to redeem himself on Sunday.
Midfielders
DM: Federico Valverde - Arguably Madrid's standout performer against Las Palmas, Valverde has made a lightning fast start to the season. He proved a threat in both halves and created a match-high four chances last time out.
DM: Aurelien Tchouameni - The Frenchman was again a little sloppy in his distribution and defending on Thursday, although he did finish the match with more touches (92) and passes into the final third (17) than any other player.
Attackers
RW: Rodrygo - Ancelotti quickly realised his mistake after starting Rodrygo on the bench in the recent 1-1 draw. The speedy winger came on at half-time and made a positive impact in the final third.
AM: Arda Guler - The youngster impressed when starting in the 3-0 win over Valladolid last weekend and could return to the XI in place of 38-year-old Luka Modric. He boasted eight touches in the opposition box and an expected assists tally of 0.43 in his last start.
LW: Vinicius Junior - Got on the scoresheet against Las Palmas when he netted from the spot after winning the penalty. The Brazil international is always a livewire in the opposition half.
ST: Kylian Mbappe - Madrid created plenty of chances against Las Palmas and Mbappe took nine shots. However, only two were on target and he finished up with an expected goals tally of just 0.52.
Real Betis Team News and Predicted Lineup
Betis visit the Bernabeu on what will be the last game ahead of the upcoming FIFA break. This match could very well send a message if Real Madrid find a way to win it in somewhat comfortable fashion. Betis are expected to be without Marc Bartra and Isco who are ruled out of this fixture.
Key Matchups
On the other hand, Real Betis, coached by Manuel Pellegrini, has also started this season 2024-25 with an irregular streak as they have not yet known neither victory nor defeat so far this LaLiga campaign. Two draws are what they have achieved in their first two league matches, against Alavés and Girona.They were unable to play on matchday 3 due to the crossroads with the Conference League qualifiers, a European competition they will play in this season after defeating the Kryvbas team with a 5-0 aggregate score. Now, Betis returns to LaLiga activity with a recent victory in these Conference League playoffs after playing at home and beating the Ukrainian Kryvbas by a score of 2-0.
The midfield battle
Real Madrid's midfield trio of Valverde, Tchouameni, and Guler will be key in dictating the tempo of the game. They will need to be at their best to counter Betis's midfield, which is likely to be led by the experienced William Carvalho and Marc Roca.
Mbappe vs. the Betis defence
The big question mark for Real Madrid will be how Mbappe performs against Betis's tight defense. Betis have been notoriously difficult to break down in recent years, but Mbappe's pace and power could pose a real threat. The Betis defenders will need to be on their toes to contain the Frenchman.
Key Stats
Real Madrid
- Real Madrid have dropped four points in their opening three fixtures and are already seven points behind leaders Barcelona, who have played a game more. Winning is the order of the day, although winning convincingly would provide a much-needed confidence boost.
Real Betis
- Betis have not won either of those fixtures, they usually make it difficult for Madrid to score as they often play a low block and are expected to do so this time around as well.
How to watch Real Madrid vs. Real Betis on TV and Live Stream
In the United States, this La Liga match will be broadcast in English exclusively on ESPN+. There is a televised broadcast available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes, which can be accessed on Fubo, who are offering a free trial for new users.
In Canada, Real Madrid vs. Real Betis will be streamed exclusively on TSN+, with no televised broadcast available.
In the UK, the match is televised on Premier Sports 1, with streaming on LaLigaTV.
Prediction
It's been a struggle for the whole Madrid front line, peppering the Las Palmas net last time out with 25 shots worth 2.95 xG but coming up with just one goal on a Vinicius Jr. penalty. They come into this weekend's game on very short rest, having contested that prior draw just three days prior on a quick turnaround. The betting market hasn't been deterred by Real Madrid's slow start, nor should it as this Los Blancos team will surely click soon. They were excellent against Las Palmas last time out but failed to find the net, and while that would be a worrying trend with a larger sample size, we all know that's not how this attacking unit operates. This is a tough match for both sides. Real Madrid will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing draw against Las Palmas, but Betis will be looking to continue their unbeaten start to the season. I think this match will be a close one, and I'm going to predict a 2-1 win for Real Madrid.
Final Thoughts
This is a must-win game for Real Madrid. They need to start picking up wins if they want to stay in the title race. The team has plenty of talent, but they need to start playing with more consistency and purpose. I am looking forward to seeing how both teams perform on Sunday. It should be a great match!
Real Madrid Predicted XI
Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Eder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy; Fede Valverde, Arda Güler, Aurélien Tchouaméni; Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior.
Real Betis Predicted XI
Rui Silva; Sabaly, Llorente, Bartra, Perraud; Marc Roca, William Carvalho, Fekir; Juanmi, Aitor Ruibal, y Pablo Fornals.
The last date before entering the FIFA date of September, begins this weekend in all soccer leagues in the world. Today we continue with the soccer activity with initial matches in this third match of LaLiga that will play several teams of the Spanish league, two of them will be Real Madrid facing Real Betis. On this midday Sunday, we will have a quite striking match where the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, will witness this confrontation between the capital and the Sevillians.Both teams will want to maintain a good level of soccer in this start of European competitions and thus be able to get the most points in this start of the LaLiga season. Will the locals be able to achieve victory or will the visitors do it in this matchday 3? Or will this match end in a draw? Find out on VAVEl USA.
