Real Madrid vs Real Betis

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu sets the stage for a celebratory La Liga season finale as record-time champions Real Madrid take on Real Betis.

It’s been a memorable season for Real Madrid. In addition to dethroning Barcelona in La Liga with games to spare and thrashing them in the Supercopa de Espana showpiece, the new Spanish champions will soon contest their 18th Champions League final. That’s perhaps the reason Carlo Ancelotti’s side unfathomably threw away a three-goal cushion in a goal-glutted 4-4 draw at Villarreal last weekend, relinquishing a nine-game winning league streak. Los Merengues will be out to complete the entire season without losing a single home match for the first time since 2019/20 (W16, D2) and bid a proper farewell to outgoing legend Toni Kroos. It could be a stylish send-off, with Real Madrid winning their last seven home league outings by an aggregate score of 22-2. 

With six of those seven Madrid wins yielding a clean sheet, visiting Real Betis will have every reason to question their chances of avenging a 2-0 home loss to Real Sociedad last weekend. Betis’ defensive frailties have become notorious, with Los Verdiblancos conceding precisely twice in three consecutive league games ahead of this trip. On a more positive note, after losing three away league matches on the bounce, Manuel Pellegrini’s men have gone unbeaten on their last three La Liga travels (W2, D1), bagging precisely two goals on each occasion. However, scoring has been elusive for the Andalusian outfit on their recent visits to Madrid, with Pellegrini’s team ending a three-game drought at the Bernabeu with a 2-1 defeat in this corresponding fixture last term.