Real Madrid take on the visitors Betis in the round 18 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Sunday, January 4th at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid).
Real Madrid are far too big a club to allow themselves regular slip-ups. Moreover, the lack of trophies became the reason why Florentino Pérez parted ways with Ancelotti for the second time, even though he had publicly admitted that sacking him was almost a personal mistake. It was obvious that by backing Xabi Alonso he had in mind the positive Madrid experience of another former local star, Zidane. However, the former midfielder’s spell only really worked for a couple of months — after the defeat to PSG at the Club World Cup and before the November–December downturn, when, among other things, the entire cushion over Barcelona was wasted, despite winning El Clásico, and the gap grew to four points. It is even somewhat surprising that the young coach has kept his job so far, but in January every further misstep could become fatal.
In recent league rounds Real (Madrid) have struggled to maintain momentum, regularly dropping points against opponents they would normally beat. The pressure has clearly increased, as the title race has tightened and any loss of consistency immediately reflects in the standings.
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Betis can look like an oasis of stability against this backdrop. The Verdiblancos have been playing under the same coach, Pellegrini, for a very long time. Yes, he has won only one trophy with them, the Copa del Rey, and that was quite some time ago. Six months ago the Spaniards were close to international success as well, but lost the Conference League final. Still, in Seville they value the fact that with Manuel the team consistently shows a high level. In La Liga, just like at the end of last season, they are holding on to sixth place with a comfortable margin. Moreover, there have been no serious problems in the Europa League either, where they are predictably among the leaders after six rounds. And there have been no slip-ups in the domestic cup, where in mid-last month they confidently beat Murcia 2–0.
Betis have been collecting points steadily in recent weeks, avoiding sharp drops in form and rarely losing control of matches. This consistency allows them to feel calm even away from home, especially against rivals who are currently going through a turbulent period.
After three consecutive draws, last season the teams exchanged home wins. Few believe in Betis here, and that is exactly what can be taken advantage of. We recommend backing Betis away from home with a +1.5 goals handicap.
Prediction for the match: Betis to win with +1.5 handicap.
