Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the La Liga meeting between Real Madrid and Real Betis at the Bernabeu. Defending champions Madrid have yet to truly get going this campaign, having drawn their opening two league fixtures on home soil.

Los Blancos will be keen to put that right tonight, with the gap on early pacesetters – and biggest title challengers – Barcelona already standing at seven points. The Catalan giants cruised to a 6-1 win over Eibar at Camp Nou yesterday evening to maintain their perfect start to the campaign and give Madrid a little something to think about.

Complacency could well be a factor for the reigning champions on the back of such an impressive campaign last time out, when winning the La Liga title for the first time in five years and also going all the way in Europe. Not only did they become the first team to retain the Champions League crown, it was also the first time since 1958 that they had achieved the league and European double.

That was quite some achievement for boss Zinedine Zidane, who is well on track to ending his managerial career with more trophies than losses at this rate! The Frenchman revealed earlier this week that he has now extended his contract at the Bernabeu, though official confirmation has still yet to be made – expect that to change in the next 24 hours or so.

Speaking of new deals, Karim Benzema – strongly linked with Arsenal throughout the summer – also extended his terms by a further four years on Wednesday afternoon to surely put an end to that speculation for good. The French striker, who has netted 181 goals in 371 games since joining from Lyon in 2009, is the fourth player to commit in recent times following deals agreed with Marcelo, Isco and Dani Carvajal.

Going back to that point of complacency perhaps creeping in, it has to be remembered that Zidane did not bring in any so-called Galacticos during the summer, which is becoming all the more regular at the Bernabeu these days. You get the impression that Zidane would have liked to have recruited Kylian Mbappe from AS Monaco, only for Paris Saint-Germain to completely price them out of a move.

Instead, the talented Theo Hernandez was brought in from rivals Atletico Madrid and Dani Ceballos – very highly rated himself – signed from tonight's opponents Betis. Alvaro Morata, Danilo and James Rodriguez were also allowed to leave, despite playing their respective part in last season's double success, so it is now down to Zidane to keep his players fully motivated throughout the duration of the 2017-18 campaign.

The lack of transfer activity has given some of the club's academy players, or those who have simply been around for what feels like an eternity, to step forward. Isco was superb in the second half of last season, while Marco Asensio has already shown glimpses of why many believe that he will be the best player in the world a few years from now. This is an extremely talented group – arguably the greatest of their generation.

The latest of those to step forward is Borja Mayoral, who made the most of his rare start against Real Sociedad last time out by scoring the opener and playing a pivotal part in the second. That 3-1 away triumph was much-needed as far as Madrid are concerned on the back of successive league draws, with Gareth Bale also bagging a confidence-boosting goal in that one.

Gareth Bale is aiming to put a disappointing 12 months behind him, having gone off the boil due to a succession of injury issues. The Wales international, who has also struggled to make a serious impact for his country this calendar year, is now fighting to keep his spot in the starting lineup but certainly has the respect and trust of manager Zinedine Zidane.

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Madrid's league record after four games stands at two draws and two wins, seeing their home stalemates against Valencia and Levante sandwiched between away wins against Deportivo La Coruna and Real Sociedad. Los Blancos also cruised to a 3-0 victory over Cypriot champions APOEL in the Champions League a week ago to get their defence in that competition off to a positive start, but next up is a trickier-looking fixture away to Borussia Dortmund.

Fifth in the table on eight points is not what many predicted at this stage of the campaign, though as many in the Madrid camp have repeated over the past fortnight, there is still plenty of football to be played. Barcelona will not win every game this season and, with star man Cristiano Ronaldo now back in their ranks, you would back the Spanish and European champions to fully click into gear either side of the international break.

DID YOU KNOW? Real Madrid are unbeaten in 25 of their last 26 home matches in La Liga, albeit with draws in the Spanish capital in their first two matches of the 2017-18 campaign. Los Blancos also equaled Brazilian club Santos's long-standing record for goals scored in successive games last time out; Borja Mayoral's strike against Real Sociedad making it 73 in a row since their last shutout – a goalless draw against Manchester City in April 2016.

Madrid are in need of three points tonight to close the gap on leaders Barcelona, then, and they will fancy their chances against a travel-sick Betis side. The visitors are now under the management of Quique Setien, who was appointed at the end of last season after guiding Las Palmas to a 14th-placed finish. The 58-year-old's task it to ensure that his new side finish higher than last time out.

Los Verdiblancos won 10 and lost 19 of their 38 fixtures to finish in the lower reaches of the La Liga table in 2016-17, with Victor Sanchez del Amo – who took over from Gus Poyet in November – not being kept on for another year. Following that disastrous campaign it has been a rather mixed start for Setien, with two wins and two losses from their first four league matches.

The first of those games was a trip to Barcelona, which ended in a 2-0 reverse – both goals coming before the interval at Camp Nou. Betis have since overcome Celta Vigo and Deportivo La Coruna 2-1 on home soil, before going down 3-1 to Villarreal in their most recent outing to make it just the one victory in their last 10 away matches – seven of those ending in defeat.

Betis have conceded at least two goals in eight of their last nine away matches, in fact; not exactly the type of form you want when taking on a Madrid side that has netted at least twice in 11 of their last 12 matches in La Liga. Twelve goals have been scored in the four games involving Los Verdiblancos this term, meanwhile, suggesting that we can expect the net to bulge a few times tonight.

Setien's charges will simply be holding out for a point at the Bernabeu this evening, much like Valencia and Levante before them, before turning attention to games against Levante and Real Sociedad prior to the international break. Getting points on the board is key after a pretty mixed start, with the visitors currently occupying 12th place in the table as one of six sides on six points.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Real Madrid have won their last seven home matches against Real Betis in all competitions, including a 2-1 victory when they last faced off in March – Sergio Ramos netting an 81st-minute winner to complete the turnaround. Los Blancos have scored at least twice in their last seven matches against tonight's opponents at the Bernabeu, in fact, while racking up 19 overall at home and away in the last five encounters.

With kickoff at the Bernabeu now a little over 20 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Zinedine Zidane: "I think [Bale] is a complete player. With the pace he possesses he can inflict damage on any team when given space - as we saw the other day. But he is also very strong technically and links well with other players in tight areas. Our stadium has whistled everyone and I cannot think of anyone who has not faced it, but that is part of a career and can actually have benefits in itself."

Quique Setien: "I think that Madrid are now at a level where they can be compared with the best Barcelona. There is a real physical component to this team that maybe wasn't evident in everyone in that Barcelona team. Madrid have enchanted me, the way that they enjoy the ball in possession, how they combine, it is good to watch them play."

Zidane has come to the defence of Bale numerous times in recent weeks, rightly pointing out that the Welshman is not the first – and will certainly not be the last – to be booed by Madrid fans. Opposite number Setien was commenting on suggestions that Los Blancos are now better than the Barcelona side put together by Pep Guardiola, admitting that he has been left "enchanted" by their success over the past couple of years.

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REAL MADRID TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Casemiro; Kroos, Modric; Isco; Bale, Ronaldo

SUBS: Casilla, Nacho, Lucas Vazquez, Llorente, Asensio, Mayoral, Ceballos

Turning attention to some team news, the home side have indeed brought Cristiano Ronaldo straight back into their starting XI following his suspension. The Portugal international has sat out his side's last five domestic matches after being reprimanded for pushing referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea in protest of a red card in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona last month.

This has to be considered as Madrid's strongest-possible side at this moment in time, with Benzema still not fully fit. Ronaldo and Bale will start up top, likely ahead of Isco who is tasked with creating from a deeper position. Toni Kroos is welcomed back into a central-midfield role, meanwhile, alongside Luka Modric and Casemiro - emphasising the point that this really is the best side Zidane could possibly field.

As well as welcoming back Ronaldo from his five-match ban, Marcelo also returns from a smaller suspension. Nacho was in contention to start in the heart of defence had Zidane opted to rotate things slightly, but Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane are instead given the nod. Theo Hernandez is absent from the squad due to a shoulder injury, meanwhile, and Borja Morayal has to settle for a place among the subs.

REAL BETIS TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Adan; Barragan, Mandi, Feddal, Durmisis; Javi Garcia, Camarasa, Fabian, Francis, Tello; Sanabria

SUBS: Gimenez, Amat, Guardado, Navarro, Boudebouz, Joaquin, Sergio Leon

In terms of the visitors, Antonio Barragan is used at right-back, while Jordi Amat is made to settle for a place among the subs once again. Rafa Navarro had been tipped to take up a spot in defence but that does not prove to be the case, though Victor Camarasa does get the nod in central midfield in what appears to be a 4-3-3 formation for Los Verdiblancos. Brave from Setien!

Sanabria, Guerrero and Tello have been picked in the forward line, while Ruiz and Garcia occupy spots alongside the aforementioned Camarasa. Joaquin is only among the visiting side's substitutes this evening, despite netting a couple of goals against Deportivo La Coruna last time out to add to a previous assist already this season. Sanabria, meanwhile, has yet to score in three sub appearances.

Both sets of players have made their way out on to the field of play. An expectant home crowd this evening in the Spanish capital, as Real Madrid attempt to get back to winning ways following a couple of disappointing home draws. Real Betis have benched a couple of their top attacking players for this visit to the Bernabeu, perhaps in the hope of grinding out a goalless draw.

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KICKOFF! We are up and running at the Bernabeu, where Real Madrid - as ever - are sporting their all-white strip on home turf. The task for Real Betis is to keep things tight for as long as possible as they attempt to become the latest team to frustrate Los Blancos here.

OFF THE POST! How about this for a start from the visitors - incredible! Camarasa bursts forward after Casemiro lost possession, squaring for Sanabria rather than going for goal himself, but the shot was stopped on the line by Carvajal. Camarasa then put his foot through the ball for Navas to save.

Not sure how Betis did not find a way through from that first attacking move of the match. Carvajal had no right to get back and keep Sanabria's shot off the line, but he managed to do so and then Navas did well to keep out Camarasa's drive.

Madrid finally showing signs of growing into the match, as Bale nearly brings down a ball over the top. Benzema among the subs tonight, remember, as he is made to wait his turn before earning a place back in the starting lineup.

CLOSE! Madrid's best moment of the match so far, as Ramos stays forward and nods a back-post cross into a central position. Ronaldo is waiting to pounce, sending his back-heeled attempt narrowly wide via a big deflection.

Los Blancos, after that huge scare inside the first few minutes, are now slowly finding their rhythm. Atletico Madrid picked up victory away to Athletic Bilbao in one of the earlier kickoffs this evening, incidentally - a full recap of which can be viewed here.

SHOT! Ronaldo remains down the centre but Isco and Bale appear to have swapped sides for the time being. Los Blancos far from dominant in the opening 13 minutes or so of the match, as Camarasa gives them another warning by blasting over.

CHANCE! Modric picks up the ball deep inside his own half and is allowed to run and run and run. The Betis defence seemed certain he would pass to Ronaldo alongside him, but the Croatian midfielder instead took the shot on and picked out the side-netting.

Already six corners won in the opening 17 minutes of what has been, on the whole, a balanced contest. Madrid the team largely in control now, but the best chance by some distance fell the visitors' way inside the opening few minutes.

Madrid win a free kick high up the pitch through the returning Marcelo. Kroos stands over the ball and eventually sends it into the middle, where a player in green was waiting to powerfully head clear. Sustained pressure now from the hosts.

CHANCE! Brilliant play from the home side, who are growing more and more into the game. Carvajal got forward down the right and sent a good cross into the middle, where Modric was standing by to blast over the bar on the volley.

Los Blancos not truly making their possession count at the moment. They have had their chances but Adan has yet to be tested in the Betis goal. Modric's volley over the bar is the closest that they have come in the opening quarter of the game.

Ronaldo starting to get on the ball a little more now on his return to the side, following a run of five league games watching from the stands. Betis have given a decent account of themselves so far here and will be kicking themselves that they are not in front.

SAVE! A first serious attempt of the night for Ronaldo, who had a weak back-heeled effort kept out a little earlier, as he puts his foot through the ball when picked out by Bale 18 yards out. Simple stop for Antonio Adan in the end.

CHANCE! Bale starting to make his quality tell now, sending in a delivery from the left that was crying out for one of his teammates to help home. Casemiro jumped highest but diverted the header wide of Adan's goal.

The longer the match remains goalless the more concerned Zidane will begin to feel, but for now he will not be all that concerned. His side are bossing things now without doing too much to trouble Adan in the opposition goal.

SAVE! Casemiro was caught in possession earlier and Carvajal is at fault on this occasion as he throws the ball straight to Fabian Ruiz. The midfielder charged forward and then smashed the ball down the middle for Navas to make a big save.

A save off the line and a big stop from Navas in the opening 35 minutes - Madrid have hardly had things all their own way! Setien may rue his side's inability to take any of these chances, though, because the hosts will only get stronger.

YELLOW CARDS! Two bookings in the space of two minutes for the visiting side. Tello was cautioned for pulling back on Marcelo, before Mandi was penalised for a challenge on Kroos which will give Madrid the chance to loft the ball into the box.

Madrid do indeed get the ball into the box from the deep free kick, which Adan comes for. The keeper took out a couple of home players in the process, including Casemiro, leading to a short stoppage in play so they can receive treatment.

Good run from Bale, which Isco so nearly managed to spot. Madrid have not been at their fluid best in attack in this first half, which may see Zidane turn to Benzema at the interval fresh on the back of the Frenchman signing a new contract.

SAVE! Adan forced into making a serious save for the first time tonight, as Isco takes one touch to control Modric's pass inside the box and another to curl the ball towards the bottom corner. Good stop from the visiting keeper.

REAL BETIS SUB! Setien forced into action at the end of the first half, as injured midfielder Camarasa - who came close to opening the scoring early on - has been replaced by Guardado. Just seconds of the half left to play.

The referee blows his whistle for half time, meaning that Madrid are on course for a third-successive home draw as things stand. They are perhaps fortunate not to be behind, in fact, as Betis had a couple of big chances in the lively opening 45 minutes at the Bernabeu.

Betis, beaten here in each of their last seven visits, had a glorious chance to open the scoring with less than three minutes on the clock when Casemiro was caught out. Victor Camarasa carried the ball forward and picked out Antonio Sanabria alongside him rather than shooting and, when the shot did arrive, Dani Carvajal somehow got back to keep it off the line. Camarasa did have a pop from the same attacking move, testing Keylor Navas with a good stop, while Fabian Ruiz's drive also had to be helped over later in the half.

The hosts were not exactly having things their own way, but they did grow into the first half as it went on, coming close through a couple of Cristiano Ronaldo attempts on his return to the side. The Portuguese's first effort of the evening deflected wide, while his second was a well-struck shot from the edge of the box that Antonio Adan had to get behind.

Luka Modric was proving to be Los Blancos' liveliest player in an attacking sense, however, bursting forward on one occasion and sending a shot into the side-netting, before volleying over the crossbar when spotted in a good position by Carvajal. Madrid's only other chance of a fairly disappointing first half fell the way of Isco, who required one touch to control Modric's pass and another to curl the ball towards the bottom corner - Adan again there to push it aside.

Zidane may be tempted to turn to Benzema or Asensio at the break, but the Frenchman is more likely to wait until around the hour mark before changing things. The visitors also have a couple of players that they can turn to, including Sergio Leon and top-scoring forward Joaquin.

REAL MADRID SUBS: Casilla, Nacho, Lucas Vazquez, Llorente, Asensio, Mayoral, Ceballos

REAL BETIS SUBS: Gimenez, Amat, Guardado, Navarro, Boudebouz, Joaquin, Sergio Leon

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RESTART! We are back under way at the Bernabeu, where Madrid will no doubt go all out to ensure that they do not drop yet more home points in the title race. Early days, but six points thrown away from the first nine here would be disastrous.

Los Blancos doing well to peg Betis right back into their own final third. That pressure may well pay dividends if they keep it up for the remainder, but at the moment the visitors are managing to keep their head above the water.

Ronaldo slips when he is preparing to get a shot away, which he reacts to rather angrily - the groundsman to blame for that one, in his opinion! Still just not happening for Los Blancos, who now have 40 minutes to find a goal.

CHANCE! Madrid at their best as they hit Betis on the counter. Bale sends in an inch-perfect delivery for Ronaldo to run on to, but the Portuguese somehow side-footed the ball over the bar from close range - a poor miss by his standards.

There is definitely a sense that an opening goal is arriving, and Madrid really should have bagged it through that Ronaldo chance a few minutes ago. Ramos brings the ball forward, now essentially playing in an attacking midfield position.

CHANCE! A big moment in the match, as Francis Guerrero blasts over the bar at one end after being given plenty of time and space, before Carvajal clipped the outside of the post at the other end of the pitch seconds later.

Nearly an hour played at this match is still, somehow, goalless. Asensio is being readied to come on by Zidane, meaning a likely change in the front three - will it be Isco or, more likely, Bale, who makes way? Zidane certainly needs to gamble.

YELLOW CARD! Zouhair Feddal is cautioned by the referee - the third player to enter his book so far - before Mandi lunged in on Ronaldo. Both teams appear to be ready to make a change once the ball goes out of play.

REAL BETIS SUB! Guerrero had a big chance to open the scoring for Los Verdiblancos a little earlier, which will prove to be his last involvement on the game as he has now been replaced by Ryad Boudebouz for the remaining 28 minutes.

PENALTY APPEAL! Ronaldo left unhappy once again after latching on to Bale's return pass and being knocked off his stride by Barragan. Did not appear to be too much in it, though, with the Portuguese simply losing his footing.

This second half is flying by as quickly as the first - just a quarter of the match, give or take, for Madrid to find a breakthrough goal at the Bernabeu. They have been knocking on the door but still appear to have another gear to move into.

SAVE! Kroos puts his boot through the ball from range and looked likely to find the back of the net if not for a slight touch on the ball from Adan on its way through. Barragan goes down in the box complaining of a head injury, eating up more seconds.

REAL MADRID SUB! Madrid players are furious with Barragan, accusing him of deliberately wasting time by going to ground, but replays show that he clashed heads with his teammate from the previous move. That has certainly got home fans fired up, with Asensio finally on for Isco.

REAL MADRID SUBS! Zidane not hanging around any longer as, soon after bringing on Asensio, Vazquez and Mayoral come on for Modric and Marcelo. Expect the hosts to bombard their opponents' goal over the next 18 minutes.

All three changes made by Zidane now, then, so there is not a lot else he can do other than perhaps alter formation. Expect that to be the case 10 minutes from now, with Ramos becoming an auxiliary striker in his usual fashion.

SAVE! Unbelievable attempt from Bale! The Welshman tried an audacious flick inside the box, which Adan did incredibly well to help onto the crossbar. The Betis keeper then denied Mayoral. A real onslaught on the visitors' goal now.

REAL BETIS SUB! Joaquin is the sixth and final player to enter the fray, taking over from Ruiz and giving Los Verdiblancos a fresh pair of legs in attack for the closing stages. Not quite sure how much of the ball he will see - if any!

For the third match running Madrid are going all out to find a late winner. Barcelona fans will be watching on, too, having seen their side pick up a resounding 6-1 win over Eibar 24 hours ago. Their lead at the summit will stand at six points if it remains this way.

Betis have been able to breathe a little easier over the last couple of minutes, getting the ball into the opposition half without getting any sort of serious shot away. It has helped to eat up more valuable seconds, though, as we enter the closing stages here.

Betis have been beaten here seven seasons in a row, remember, so earning a point would be quite something for them. Valencia and Levante have also left here with a share of the spoils this term - a shocking run of home form as far as Madrid are concerned.

We are approaching Sergio Ramos in attack territory now. Madrid are never happy with just the one point at home, never mind after dropping six here already from their first two games. Expect one or two more chances in the remaining minutes.

Carvajal plays the ball back to the edge of the box; a position that Ronaldo and Asensio had just evacuated. A nice piece of play from the full-back but his teammates were on a different wavelength and another opening comes and goes for the hosts.

GOAL DISALLOWED! Wow! Betis squander a glorious four and three opportunity. Moments later the ball finds its way back at the feet of Sanabria, who walked the ball over the line, but the offside flag rightly cut his celebration short.

Bale gets his overhead kick horribly wrong and then Kroos failed to find the target from his shot. We have now played two of five added-one minutes at the Bernabeu - still time for one more big chance in this gripping match.

Mayoral climbed highest to get a header on target, but Adan not only kept it out but he also grabbed the ball with both hands in the air. Sixty seconds or so left to play in the Spanish capital and Betis are seriously holding on now.

Madrid always knew that there was a risk they could concede a late goal, and that has proved to be the case in the final minute of added time. Incredible scenes at the Bernabeu as Sanabria peels away from his man and heads Barragan's cross past Navas to win the match.

So there we have it - defending champions Madrid have now dropped seven points from nine on offer across their first three home league games of the season. We are only a month into the season but already they have an almighty task on their hands chasing down Barcelona, who remain seven points clear. Antonio Sanabria was the hero for Real Betis, netting in the fourth minute of added time.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at the Bernabeu. It was another night of twists and turns in La Liga, but the headline news is that Real Madrid have thrown away yet more points in the title race. Thanks for joining, and be sure to check out this on-the-whistle report before heading off!