Real Madrid ended their winless April in unconvincing fashion with Tuesday’s 2–1 home win over relegation-threatened Alavés to keep the lightest of pressure on La Liga leaders Barcelona.
A chorus of whistles greeted the players at the Bernabéu as the fans made their frustrations heard, following a season-defining period that has seen Los Blancos eliminated from the Champions League and lose ground in the title race.
Hopes of ending the season with any trophy now appear vanishingly slim, with just six games still to play in La Liga and a nine-point deficit to overturn.
After getting the job done against Alavés, Real Madrid will be expected to push on, end as strongly as possible and—at the very least—make Barcelona work for their title.
The trip to Andalusia to face Europe-chasing Real Betis on Friday night offers the opportunity to close the gap at the top of the table, at least briefly with Barça playing on Saturday. Another weak, disinterested performance against dangerous opposition will not be received kindly by the fans.
Militão, Güler Add to Injury Concerns
Álvaro Arbeloa has a few injury concerns ahead of Friday’s fixture with Thibaut Courtois, Rodrygo and Raúl Asencio pre-existing absentees. In addition, Éder Militão, who limped off during the La Liga win over Alavés with an apparent hamstring issue.
Speaking after the game Arbeloa told reporters that “it doesn't seem to be anything serious”. However, reports claim the Brazilian defender is now set to miss the rest of the season.
Arda Güler, too, picked up a thigh issue midweek with his season also under threat, and with kick off at La Cartuja coming just 72 hours after the clash with Alavés, some rotation is to be expected to protect the players.
- ⚠️ Key injuries, absentees, doubts: Thibaut Courtois, Rodrygo, Raúl Asencio, Éder Militão.
- 🔢 Predicted formation: 4-4-2
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Real Betis
GK: Andriy Lunin—Still looking for his first clean sheet of the season, this could be Lunin’s last outing before Thibaut Courtois returns from injury.
RB: Dani Carvajal—With Trent Alexander-Arnold preferred on Tuesday, Carvajal might come in to provide fresher legs and more defensive mindset against the red hot Abde Ezzalzouli.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger—Militão’s injury against Alavés has ruled him out for Friday. Rüdiger is the more likely starter, though his fitness also requires careful management.
CB: Dean Huijsen—The young Spain international was impressive earlier in the week negating the threat of Lucas Boye and is enjoying a strong end to the season after a shaky start.
LB: Fran García—Álvaro Carreras didn’t impress against Alavés and could be rested for the trip to Seville. Both García and Mendy were unused subs on Tuesday night.
RM: Federico Valverde—The Uruguayan’s assist against Alavés took Valverde to 13 goal contributions in the league this season. As well as going forward, he will be required defensively to help negate the threat of the Betis attack.
CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—Despite talk of a summer move to Manchester United, Tchouaméni remains one of Madrid’s key performers this season.
CM: Jude Bellingham—The Englishman cut a frustrated figure when he was substituted before the hour mark against Alavés. He is without a goal contribution in his last nine appearances in all competitions.
LM: Brahim Díaz—The Morocco international could deputize for the injured Güler, who now appears likely to miss the rest of the season with injury.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—In the driving seat for back-to-back Pichichi wins, Mbappé was still the subject of fan frustration against Alavés as the boos and whistles rained down from the Bernabéu.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid XI vs. Real Betis: More Headaches for Arbeloa—Injury News, Predicted Lineup.
