Real Madrid vs. Real Betis: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
It's a journey that began back in 1986, one almost three decades in the making, but even so, for Rafa Benitez the last three months might have felt just as long.
It was all the way back on June 3 that Benitez was appointed as Real Madrid manager, but almost three months down the line he's still yet to fulfil his dream, to sit in the dugout of the Santiago Bernabeu in a competitive game. A long pre-season campaign needed to be attended to first, with La Liga's late start in comparison to other leagues then pushing his Bernabeu debut back further, and an opening game away in Gijon dragging it out that little bit more.
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Finally, belatedly, Saturday will change that, though, as Real Madrid prepare to welcome Real Betis to the capital, with Benitez after 29 years of coaching set to get the moment he's long dreamed of.
Naturally, the Madrilenian would have loved to arrive at such a career milestone engulfed in optimism, encouragement and positivity, with a club assembling behind "one of their own." But that's not exactly the case.
Instead, Benitez enters this fixture surrounded in cynicism, both the Madrid press and sections of the fanbase concerned by what has been perceived as a sluggish start under the new boss. "Five barren games under Benitez," remarked an agitated Marca after last weekend's scoreless draw with Sporting Gijon, putting the league opener on the end of the pre-season games to suggest Los Blancos have lost their touch in attack.
The glass-half-full stance would be that Benitez has overseen six clean sheets in nine outings, conceding just three goals in the process.
Yet, regardless of what importance you put on his team's current form in front of goal, the new manager will need to see an improvement in attack quickly to keep Madrid's particularly savage wolves at bay. In that sense, Karim Benzema's return from injury will be a significant boost, with Marca's R. Vegas and S. Siguero delighted to see "The BBC, back on line."
It's hard to picture such a powerful forward setup drawing another blank against a newly promoted outfit.
Real Betis, meanwhile, will be frustrated that they're not arriving at the Bernabeu with three points already in their possession, with the Andalusians forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with Villarreal in Seville last weekend after controlling the match for large periods.
"Today I saw the Betis I wanted," said manager Pepe Mel afterwards, per Tom Conn of Inside Spanish Football. "They pressed well and played well; I'm not happy with a draw.
Though Villarreal's game looked somewhat disjointed at the Benito Villamarin, the hosts appeared surprisingly fluent in their return to the top flight—particularly in the opening half when new signing Cristiano Piccini was storming forward from right-back and consistently getting beyond the defensively challenged Samu Castillejo.
Admittedly, Betis could have gone behind by two goals when goalkeeper Antonio Adan temporarily forgot where he was, but Ruben Castro's equaliser was very-much deserved after an impressive collective display first up.
Mel, who's back at the club he led into Europe only three seasons ago, might also feel that now is a good time to be heading to the Bernabeu, with Real Madrid still feeling their way under Benitez and still some distance from their devastating best.
If the visitors can replicate Sporting's effort and grab a point in the capital, he'll be absolutely delighted.
Match Details
Date: Saturday, August 29
Time: 9:30 p.m. BST / 4:30 p.m. EDT / 10:30 p.m. local
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
Form Lines
| D: 0-0 vs. Sporting Gijon | D: 1-1 vs. Villarreal |
| W: 2-1 vs. Galatasaray | L: 0-3 vs. Atletico Madrid |
| D: 0-0 vs. Valerenga | W: 2-1 vs. Granada |
| L: 0-1 vs. Bayern Munich | D: 1-1 vs. Espanyol |
| W: 2-0 vs. Tottenham | W: 2-1 vs. Recreativo Huelva |
| D: 0-0 vs. AC Milan | L: 0-2 vs. Borussia Dortmund |
Team News
Real Madrid will have a full squad available for Betis' visit of the Bernabeu on Saturday, with the club's official website indicating that Benitez is without any injury headaches.
As mentioned earlier, such a situation means Benzema will come into consideration for a starting berth after missing the season opener in Gijon, with the Frenchman having overcome a thigh problem he picked up in pre-season.
If the No. 9 does start, it's likely he'll only be given 50-60 minutes of playing time as a precautionary measure, the alternative being he comes off the bench. "Benzema doesn't have the same match practice as his team-mates," said Benitez on Friday, per Jack Davies of Goal.com. "We'll see how many minutes he can play."
It's also possible that we'll see James Rodriguez in action against the Andalusian outfit, after the Colombian was a surprise absentee from Real Madrid's XI at El Molinon. Daniel Carvajal might join him, too, given Danilo's rather uninspiring display at right-back against Sporting.
For Real Betis, headline-summer-signing Rafael van der Vaart will be unavailable because of a sprained right ankle, per Marca, while promising midfielder Dani Ceballos might miss the trip to Madrid, with Mel saying last weekend that the 19-year-old was distracted by the ongoing speculation over a possible transfer move to the Bernabeu.
As such, we could see a very similar Betis lineup to the one that faced Villarreal, a 4-4-2 shape led by Castro and Jorge Molina possibly set to be the formation from the visitors.
However, if Mel is feeling more conservative, we could see Castro leading the attack on his own, with an added player used centrally to create a five-man midfield.
Predicted Lineups
In the Spotlight
Though he's the least heralded of the "BBC", and his price tag pales in comparison to the attacking stars around him, Karim Benzema's importance to Real Madrid's forward setup is immense.
More than simply a No. 9, a goalscorer, the Frenchman is effectively a central fulcrum for Los Blancos, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez regular beneficiaries of Benzema's capacity to provide and create, as his skill set wonderfully complements those who flank him.
Indeed, what Benzema does for Real Madrid is enhance the collective's productivity, with his layoffs, neat touches and back-to-goal play bringing more team-mates into each move, reducing the individualism that's sometimes evident in the team's attack.
Against Sporting Gijon, the centre-forward was sorely missed, with Jese unable to replicate his influence at the head of Benitez's formation.
Against Betis, his expected return is a welcome one.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Real Madrid: 1-10
Draw: 9-1
Real Betis: 18-1
