Real Madrid will be looking for their third straight win in all competitions when they welcome Real Betis to the Bernabeu on Saturday night.
Zinedine Zidane's side thumped Leganes 5-0 on Wednesday night to move into second spot in La Liga, while Betis are currently 15th in the table having only picked up 12 points from their 11 matches.
Match preview
© Reuters
Wednesday was much more like it from Madrid in terms of result and indeed performance as they put five unanswered goals past Leganes at the Bernabeu. There were also five different goalscorers in the La Liga contest, with Rodrygo Goes, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema and Luka Jovic all netting.
It has been a strange start to the season for Madrid, but the victory over Leganes moved them into second spot in the table, just one point off leaders Barcelona. That said, surprise package Granada will have the chance to move to the top of the division once again when they travel to Getafe on Thursday night.
Zidane's side entered Wednesday's game off the back of a huge 1-0 victory over Galatasaray in the Champions League on October 22. Madrid had been due to face Barca at Camp Nou last weekend, but protests in the city meant that El Clasico had to be postponed.
Four of Los Blancos's next five matches are actually at home as they will also take on Galatasaray and Paris Saint-Germain at the Bernabeu in the Champions League before the end of the month.
The capital giants have the chance to pick up some big results in the league and European Cup during November, and it will be very interesting to see how the Spanish giants perform in the coming weeks.
© Reuters
It has not quite been the start to the season that the Betis supporters would have imagined, with just 12 points from 11 La Liga matches leaving them down in 15th, just three points clear of the relegation zone.
Betis actually made a decent start to the season as they won two and drew two of their first six matches before losing three of their next four against Villarreal, Real Sociedad and Granada during a tough run of games.
The Seville outfit picked up a huge three points on Wednesday night, though, as they recorded a 2-1 victory at home to Celta Vigo. Nabil Fekir came up with a 90th-minute winner for Rubi's team, who really needed a boost avoid of Saturday's tough trip to the Spanish capital.
Betis have previous when it comes to triumphing at the Bernabeu, though, as they ran out 2-0 winners in the corresponding match at the end of last season. In fact, Betis have won on their last two league visits to Madrid, suggesting that this game will not be straightforward for the hosts.
The Green and Whites are also just two points off ninth-placed Osasuna as things stand, and a positive result on Saturday could be the springboard that they need to overcome what has been a difficult start.
Real Madrid form: WWDWLW
Real Betis form: WLDLLW
Team News
© Reuters
Madrid will again be without the services of Marco Asensio and Nacho due to long-term knee injuries, while Gareth Bale remains a doubt having missed the last three matches with a calf issue.
James Rodriguez could return having missed the Leganes clash after becoming a father for the second time, though, while Vinicius Junior will also be hoping to feature in the squad.
Luka Modric made his return from injury off the bench during the week, and the Croatia international could come into the XI this weekend, while Ferland Mendy is also pushing for a start ahead of Marcelo at left-back.
As for Betis, a fairly lengthy injury list includes the likes of Javi Gracia, Dani Martin, William Carvalho and Francis Guerrero, while Wilfrid Kaptoum is still not available despite returning to training.
It is unlikely that Rubi will make many changes from Wednesday's win over Celta, meaning that the likes of Fekir, Joaquin and Sergio Canales will keep their spots in the attacking positions.
Borja Iglesias should also lead the line despite pressure from Loren Moron.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup: Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Hazard, Benzema, Rodrygo
Real Betis possible starting lineup: Joel; Emerson, Mandi, Feddal, Moreno; Bartra, Ismael; Canales, Fekir, Joaquin; Iglesias
We say: Real Madrid 3-1 Real Betis
Betis have enjoyed their recent visits to the Bernabeu, but we are finding it really difficult to back an away win this weekend when taking everything into consideration. Madrid played extremely well against Leganes on Wednesday night and should have more than enough to record another victory here.
No Data Analysis info
