Matchday 18 of the La Liga season between Real Madrid and Real Betis will take place on 4 January at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Real Madrid vs Real Betis: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Real Madrid
Despite a dip in form, the end of 2025 was successful for Real Madrid. In the final game before the break the home side beat Sevilla 2:0, securing a second consecutive La Liga victory. Recall that before this the team had won only one of five league matches (three draws, one defeat). The club remains in 2nd place in the table, four points behind Barcelona. Note that in the current La Liga season the squad has conceded a total of 16 goals, fewer only than Villarreal (15). If we take the total number of goals scored in the championship (36), the home side is second only to Barcelona (51).
- The home side have won 11 of their last 12 La Liga home matches.
- The club's uncompromising home run in this competition lasts 16 matches (14 wins, 2 defeats).
- Real Madrid scored in 20 of their last 21 La Liga matches at their stands.
Potential Real Madrid Lineup (4-3-3)*
Thibaut Courtois – Raul Asensio, Antonio Rüdiger, Din Heisen, Fran García – Arda Güler, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham – Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappé.
Defender Álvaro Carreras has served a suspension. Midfielder Brahim Díaz is unavailable due to African Cup of Nations duty, and forward Endrick moved to Lyon on loan. Due to injuries the match will be missed by defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militão, as well as forward Kylian Mbappé.
Real Betis
After two consecutive La Liga matches without a win, Real Betis comfortably defeated Getafe 4:0. The visitors had not recorded such a thrashing in this competition since April 2025. Now the club has suffered just one defeat in its last seven league games (three wins, three draws), and overall after 17 rounds from the start of the season the squad has lost only three times. Under Manuel Pellegrini the club occupies 6th place in the table. The gap to the nearest pursuers has grown to five points, but the same margin separates Real Betis from 5th place.
- In away matches this La Liga season the club has conceded 8 goals in total, fewer only than Celta and Espanyol (7 each).
- The visitors have scored in 6 of their last 7 league meetings.
- At least 2 goals were scored in 14 of Real Betis's last 15 La Liga matches.
Potential Real Betis Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Álvaro Valles – Ricardo Rodríguez, Marc Bartra, Natan, Ángel Ortiz – Nelson Deossa, Marc Roca – Antoni, Pablo Fornals, Aitor Ruibal – Kucho Hernández.
Midfielders Sofyan Amrabat and Abde Ezzalzouli, as well as forward Cédric Bakambu, are at the African Cup of Nations. Due to health issues midfielder Isco and defenders Diego Llorente and Junior Firpo are not available for the match.
Referee
Alejandro Jose Hernandez (Spain)
Matches – 9 (La Liga, 2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards Shown (including second yellows) – 37;
Average Yellow Cards Per Match – 4.1;
Red Cards Shown – 1;
Fouls Average Per Match – 21;
Penalties – 44%.
Real Madrid vs Real Betis: Match Prediction
Before the league pause Real Madrid regrouped and took two consecutive wins for the first time in a long while, but we still do not see the previous level of confidence. Over the last seven rounds the team won by a large margin only once, away at Athletic (3:0). At home the home side very rarely drop points, but the club managed to crush an opponent only in 1 of its last 17 La Liga matches.
Real Betis are a very solid team, capable of challenging almost any opponent. In the current La Liga season the visitors have suffered only three defeats, and none were heavy. Moreover, so far the squad has lost exclusively at home. Across the last eight away league games in this competition the club recorded 2 wins and 6 draws.
We would also add that the visitors have not lost in 6 of the last 8 head-to-head meetings at Real Madrid's ground in La Liga (2 wins, 4 draws).
Prediction: Real Betis (+2)
* For each team the starting lineup shown is from their last match in this competition.
