La Liga: Real Betis v Real Madrid Match Preview

What: Spanish La Liga
Who: Real Betis vs Real Madrid
When: Saturday 24th November, 2012, at 21:00 UK time
Where: Benito Villamarin, Seville, Spain

Derby Blues

Going into the 13th matchday of the 2012/13 La Liga season, Real Betis prepare to welcome title holders Real Madrid to Andalucia. Having suffered a resounding defeat in the Seville derby, being beaten 5-1 by Sevilla last weekend, Los Verdiblancos have to try to bounce back against Los Blancos – but that will be anything but easy.

Real Betis have had tough times recently, losing their last two games – including a home defeat to 17th-placed Granada – but defender Jose Dorado stressed that his side need to look forward, and get back on the right track.

“If we keep looking back [on the Sevilla defeat] it is not going to be fine this Saturday; we have to look forward”, he said.

Dorado also stressed the damage that the visitors can inflict, while claiming not to be worried. “We are not afraid, but we respect them. They have world-class players. A team like Real Madrid have many players who can do well.”

Having lost more games at home than they have on the road this season, statistics do not favour Betis.
 

Safely Through

A 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium was sufficient for Real Madrid to ensure their passage to the next round of the Champions League in midweek, albeit as group runners-up to German champions Borussia Dortmund. Now, Jose Mourinho’s team need to get back to domestic business as they resume their attempt to catch Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

The nine-times European champions scored a good result last weekend in league action with a 5-1 home thrashing of adversaries Athletic Bilbao. However, away wins can sometimes be hard to come by and Real Madrid struggled to defeat Levante in their last game on the road, albeit on a waterlogged pitch.

Up front, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored just once in Real Madrid’s last six games, while Gonzalo Higuain nurses an injury. As such, Mourinho finds himself stuck with Karim Benzema who, despite having scored three goals in four Champions League games, boasts only two to his name in ten La Liga fixtures.

Knowing that they welcome Atletico Madrid at the start of December, Real Madrid must continue to put the pressure on their city rivals as they bid to overtake them before the derby.
 

Recent form

Real Betis:
Getafe 2-4 Real Betis (05/11; La Liga)
Real Betis 1-2 Granada (09/11; La Liga)
Sevilla 5-1 Real Betis (18/11; La Liga)

Real Madrid:
Levante 1-2 Real Madrid (11/11; La Liga)
Real Madrid 5-1 Athletic Bilbao (17/11; La Liga)
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid (21/11; Champions League)

Key absences

Real Betis: Damien Perquis

Real Madrid: Gonzalo Higuain; Marcelo
 

Players to watch

Real Betis – Benat: The Basque midfielder is having a good season on a personal level, but facing Real Madrid will be a whole different test for him. He will need to try to increase his four assists so far in the current campaign.

Real Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo: Speculation of unhappiness in the Spanish capital have hardly aided the Portuguese winger recently, who has failed to find the net in his last two games for his club. While that does not mean he is in crisis, goals will nevertheless take some pressure off his shoulders.

Match Prediction

Real Betis have shown their ability to compete so far this season, as they occupy sixth place in the standings, despite having won less than half of their games. Real Madrid tend to find it hard against teams like these, but should eventually grab the result they need. Real Betis 1-2 Real Madrid.