However, that promises to be no easy task. Los Verdiblacos have been in solid form this season, and they currently occupy sixth spot in the league. Prior to the break, they beat a stubborn Getafe rearguard 4-0 on home turf, accumulating a total of 3.3 xG from their 19 shots. Filling in for Abde Ezzalzouli on the flank, Aitor Ruibal started on the right and bagged himself a brace, while Cucho Hernandez and Pablo Fornals were also on the scoresheet. Betis are a succinct unit going forward, and will definitely be able to cause this Real Madrid side problems.

However, their main challenge will be keeping Real Madrid out - Los Blancos have won nine of their 11 matches at the Bernabeu this season, during which they have scored a total of 21 goals. Madrid have a four-point gap to close on Barcelona for top spot, so they should be front-footed here.

Interestingly, Real Betis are still unbeaten in their away games this season, boasting a record of six wins and seven draws across all competitions. They have lost three times this season, with the most recent defeat coming against Barcelona at the start of December. Los Verdiblancos put up a real fight in that one, though, as it finished 5-3 at the Benito Villamarin Stadium. It was an incredibly entertaining watch, with eight goals, six cards, and 14 corners shared with seven apiece.

Despite their solid form this season, Real Betis have conceded an average of 5.6 corners per game in the Spanish top flight, rising to 6.4 when playing away. In fact, they rank fourth for total corners conceded this term. Real Madrid racked up seven corners when they last hosted Betis at the Bernabeu, with the visitors registering three corners to get over this mark.

Kylian Mbappe was the difference maker in that match, as his brace propelled Los Blancos to a 2-0 win. The Frenchman accounted for nine of Real Madrid’s 22 shots, but will be a notable absentee from this clash, as he has picked up a knee injury. That leaves a void for Real Madrid to fill in the final third, and Vincius Junior will likely be given a much larger responsibility going forward.

When Mbappe missed out against Man City in the Champions League, Vinicius started up front, and registered a total of four shots - more than any other Real Madrid player. Although he didn’t manage any on target, he did have plenty of chances, and now draws an easier matchup here against Real Betis.

Behind Mbappe, Vinicius has the highest average shots per game in the Real Madrid squad, with 3.48 efforts per 90, while he has landed this selection in seven of his last eight starts across all competitions.

After arriving from Monterrey in the summer, Nelson Deossa has been thrust into a starting role in recent weeks following Sofyan Amrabat’s departure to join the Morocco squad for AFCON. The Colombian international has started just nine matches across all competitions this season, but is averaging 2.47 fouls per 90. In his last seven appearances, Deossa has picked up three bookings and committed multiple infringements in four of those games.

He is an incredibly physical player in the middle of the park, and should have plenty of defensive work to get through against Real Madrid, having to contend with the likes of Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham. Deossa featured for the second-half against Barcelona, but still racked up three fouls and was booked. Even last season, he had an average of 1.82 fouls per 90 in the Mexican top flight, highlighting just how aggressive he is.