La Liga: Real Betis Seek First Win at the Expense of Real Madrid

Real Madrid vs Real Betis

Real Betis will be aiming to get their first three points of the 2024-25 campaign when they visit La Liga defending champions Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Sunday.

Los Verdiblancos notched two points from their first two games after drawing with Girona (1-1) and Alaves (0-0). Overall, they have yet to lose in all competitions since losing to Manchester United in a Club Friendly earlier this month, so they’re fancying their chances.

With a game in hand, Real Betis will aim to steal points from Real Madrid, who have looked far from convincing to start the season with two draws and one win against teams that they should’ve easily defeated.

While Real Betis are the underdogs against Real Madrid, according to the pre-game SBOTOP betting odds, it would be foolish to count them out.

 

Talking Points

No Bellingham, big problem for Real Madrid

Jude Bellingham is expected to be out for at least a month due to a leg injury, which is a huge blow to Real Madrid’s repeat hopes since he was their most creative player last season.

The Englishman won La Liga Player of the Year after leading Los Blancos to its 36^th league championship by notching 19 league goals, so he will be sorely missed.

Bellingham’s absence was felt in Los Blancos’ 1-1 draw against Las Palmas, as they were wasteful with their chances, notching 25 total shots with eight of them on target.

After slotting in Arda Guler in the No. 10 role vacated by Jude Bellingham in their 3-0 beatdown of Valladolid, Carlo Ancelotti decided to go with Luka Modric against Las Palmas.

While doing so wasn’t a bad idea, it ultimately didn’t work for Real Madrid. Modric may have created his fair share of chances, but he lacked the legs to finish the game.

It didn’t help the team either that Kylian Mbappe has yet to find his stride, as he has yet to notch a goal or an assist in his first three outings.

If it weren’t for an unfortunate handball for Las Palmas and Vinicius Jr.’s penalty after that, Real Madrid would’ve easily lost last night. Simply put, Carlo Ancelotti’s side must do a whole lot better against a stronger team like Real Betis.

 

Real Betis retooled their lineup

Real Betis have been fairly busy in the summer transfer window as they gear up for a grueling 2024-25 campaign with European football. They got rid of a lot of deadwood in exchange for a couple of cheap signings and loans.

Former Leeds United stars Marc Roca and Diego Llorente were some of their biggest adds, but the most intriguing acquisition they’ve had recently was loaning Vitor Roque from Barcelona.

Vitor Roque has a point to prove after he was left frozen on the bench by Xavi at Barca last season. Real Betis will need him to deliver, especially since they only have Aitor Ruibal, Pablo Fornals, and Juanmi as their top attacking threats and Nabil Fekir is leaving for the UAE.

Unlike Real Madrid, confidence is high for Manuel Pellegrini’s men after they brushed aside Ukrainian side Kryvbas in the Europa Conference League play-off this week via an aggregate tally of 5-0.

 

History

Real Betis have never beaten Real Madrid since their 2-1 win at the Benito Villamarin in March 2020, but they’ve caused the defending champions to drop points in their recent matchups.

Last season, Los Verdiblancos held Los Blancos to a 1-1 draw in December, and both sides were level at zero goals each in late May.

Real Madrid have won just one of their last seven La Liga home matches against Real Betis (D4, L2), with their last win being a 2-1 result in September 2022. They haven’t notched consecutive home victories against Los Verdiblancos since March 2017 (W7).

 

Betting Tip

The La Liga 2024 odds have Real Madrid as the favourites, despite their recent struggles. Los Blancos are priced at 1.27, whereas Los Verdiblancos are 7.80 underdogs, and a draw is at 5.20 in the 1X2 market.

Based on their recent encounters, La Liga 2024 highlights might be hard to find between these two sides this weekend, hence our recommended bet above. In the same token, Under 2.75 at 2.25 and Total Goal 0-1 at 4.64 should also be considered.

Moreover, if you think this will be another draw, then the Correct Score of 0-0 – the result of their most recent league meeting – offers a solid payday of 19.50, while a Correct Score of 1-1 is at 10.50.

   

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