Real Madrid will look to kickstart their season on Sunday night when they take on Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos have made a stuttering start to the new campaign and find themselves on five points after three matches following one win and two draws.
Visiting the Bernabeu on Sunday is a Real Betis side still looking for their first win of the new season following two draws from two matches.
How the bookies view it: Real Madrid expected to win handsomely
Despite their patchy start to the new season, Real Madrid are still considered the heavy favourites for this one and anything other than a win for Los Blancos would be a shock. Betfred have priced a Real Madrid victory at 1/4 while a win for Real Betis has been priced at 10/1. The draw, which would be in keeping with both club's seasons so far, has been priced at 5/1.
Recent head-to-head: A frustrating fixture for the hosts
The price of 1/4 feels particularly short when you look at Real Madrid's recent record against Real Betis. Carlo Ancelotti's men have only managed to overcome Betis once in their last five meetings with the Seville-based club. The other four matches have all ended in draws, illustrating how capable Real Betis are of frustrating Real Madrid.
The last time Real Betis managed to go one better and pick up a win over Real Madrid was in 2020 while their last win at the Bernabeu was in 2019.
Players to watch: A return for Rodrygo?
Carlo Ancelotti made the shock move of dropping Rodrygo for Real Madrid's last match with Las Palmas to give Brahim Diaz a rare start. The idea was that the left foot of Diaz would give the side more balance alongside Vinicius and Mbappe but unfortunately for Ancelotti, the experiment didn't produce any better results.
Rodrygo came on for Diaz as a substitute in the second half and he is expected to come back into the starting XI here to line up alongside Vinicius and Mbappe once again. Madrid's new-look front three seemingly isn't going to just click instantly and work is needed to gel the three together, but with time it has the potential to explode.
Mbappe himself will be desperate to get off the mark this weekend. All eyes are on the Frenchman after failing to score in any of Real Madrid's first three league matches so he will be keen to silence his early critics on Sunday.
Predicted line-ups
Real Madrid are without three players who would usually be starting for them this weekend in the form of Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga and David Alaba. Manuel Pellegrini has injury problems of his own and is missing three players for this one, including former Real Madrid player, Isco.
Real Madrid: Courtois – Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy – Valverde, Tchouameni, Guler – Rodrygo, Mabppe, Vinicius
Real Betis: Silva – Sabaly, Llorente, Natan, Perraud – Roca, Carvalho – Fornals, Ruibal, Ezzalzouli – Chimy
Anything else catch the eye?
Real Betis have managed to hold Real Madrid to draws in recent years by being dogged at the back and they have already displayed those same qualities in a few matches this season, keeping a clean sheet in their last three matches in all competitions. Under 2.5 goals to be scored on Sunday is priced at 11/8 with Betfred.
This La Liga match between Real Madrid and Real Betis will be played on Sep 1, 2024 and kick off at 20:30. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Real Betis prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
