La Liga 2025–2026: Betis vs. Real Madrid, Probable Lineups

With the early match between Betis and Real Madrid scheduled for Friday at 9 p.m. at the Estadio de la Cartuja in Seville, the fourth matchday of the Spanish La Liga kicks off, even though the standings already show two teams with four games played because Real Sociedad and Celta, on Thursday, brought forward their sixth-round matchup due to scheduling conflicts (for the record, the match at Estadio de Anoeta ended 0-0).

Betis, which had enjoyed success in the first two matchdays by first beating Real Sociedad 1-0 at home and then Valencia on the road, was overwhelmed by the other Valencian team, Levante, in the match on Saturday, August 29: The final score was 5-2, with goals from Dela, Bardeli, Brugue (two goals), and Olasagasti for the home team, while Bartra and Riquelme scored for the green-and-whites. The match against Real will be anything but easy, not only because of the opponent’s caliber but also because the team needs to conserve energy ahead of their Champions League away match in Lille.

Real Madrid is on a mission after one of the most disappointing seasons in recent years: José Mourinho’s men, who had defeated Espanyol in their season opener (2-1 on the road) with some difficulty, then capitalized on the “Bernabéu” factor in their next two matches, crushing Real Sociedad 4-1 and Málaga 4-0. Against the Andalusians, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, and Arda Güler found the back of the net (the other goal was an own goal by Herrero), among the players most eagerly anticipated whenever the Blancos take the field.

Probable Lineups

BETIS (4-2-3-1): Valles; Bellerin, Diego Llorente, Natan, Fran Garcia; Facundo, Fornals; Antony, Isco, Riquelme; Cucho. Coach: Pellegrini.

REAL MADRID (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen, Cucurella; Bernardo Silva, Valverde; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappé. Coach: Mourinho.