Match of the 18th round of the La Liga between Real Madrid and Real Betis will take place on 4 january at Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Real Madrid vs Real Betis: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Real Madrid
Despite a slump, Real Madrid ended 2025 on a high note. In the final game before the break the home side beat Sevilla 2:0, securing their second consecutive win in the Primera División. Prior to that the team had won only 1 of 5 league matches (3 draws, 1 defeat). The club remain in 2nd place in the table, still 4 points short of leaders Barcelona. It should be noted that in the current La Liga season Real Madrid have conceded a total of 16 goals, fewer only than Villarreal (15). Looking at the total number of goals scored in the championship (36), the home side trail only Barcelona (51).
- The home side have won 11 of their last 12 Primera División matches at their stadium.
- The club's uncompromising home run in this competition stretches for 16 games (14 wins, 2 defeats).
- Real Madrid scored in 20 of their previous 21 La Liga matches at their own stands.
Potential Real Madrid Lineup (4-3-3)*
Thibaut Courtois – Raul Asensio, Antonio Rüdiger, Din Heysen, Fran García – Arda Güler, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jude Bellingham – Rodrigo, Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé.
Defender Alvaro Carreras has returned from suspension. Midfielder Brahim Díaz is unavailable due to participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, forward Endrick has moved to Lyon on loan. Due to injuries defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, as well as forward Kylian Mbappé, will miss the match.
Real Betis
After two matches without a win in the La Liga, Real Betis comfortably saw off Getafe 4:0. Such routs in this competition had not been recorded by the club since April 2025. Now the visitors have suffered only 1 defeat in their last 7 league games (3 wins, 3 draws), and overall after the first 17 rounds of the season the team have lost just 3 times. In the table the club occupy 6th place. The gap to the nearest pursuers has increased to 5 points, but the same margin separates them from 5th place.
- In away matches this Primera División season the club have conceded a total of 8 goals, fewer only than Celta and Espanyol (7 each).
- The visitors scored in 6 of their last 7 league matches in Spain.
- 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)*
Alvaro Valles – Ricardo Rodriguez, Marc Bartra, Natan, Angel Ortiz – Nelson Deossa, Marc Roca – Antoni, Pablo Fornals, Aitor Ruibal – Kucho Hernandez.
Midfielders Sofyan Amrabat and Abde Ezzalzouli, as well as forward Cedric Bakambu, are participating in the Africa Cup of Nations. Due to health issues midfielder Isco and defenders Diego Llorente and Junior Firpo are not ready for the match.
Real Madrid vs Real Betis: Match Prediction
Before the international break Real Madrid pulled themselves together and recorded two wins in a row for the first time in a long spell, though we do not yet see their former confidence. In the last seven rounds the home side recorded a big-margin win only once away at Athletic (3:0). At their own stadium the team very rarely drop points, but they managed to thrash an opponent in only 1 of the last 17 La Liga matches.
Real Betis are a very solid team capable of giving a fight to almost any opponent. In the current La Liga season the visitors have suffered only 3 defeats, and none of those were heavy. Moreover, so far the club have lost exclusively at home. Across their last 8 away games in this competition the visitors have 2 wins and 6 draws.
We would add that the visitors have not lost in 6 of the last 8 head-to-head league meetings at Real Madrid (2 wins, 4 draws).
Prediction: Real Betis (+2)
* For each team the starting lineup from their previous match in this competition is shown.
