Real Madrid vs Real Betis
Real Madrid ended the 2025 calendar year behind Barcelona in the La Liga standings, and they hope to change that early in 2026 before it’s too late. Xabi Alonso’s men are four points behind the Blaugrana but have won three of their last four league games.
Los Blancos will start the new calendar year with a challenging tie against Real Betis, who are pushing for another European football finish this season. These two teams will convene at the Santiago Bernabeu this Saturday evening.
Real Betis are sixth in the Spanish top-flight standings with 28 points and can inch closer to a Top 4 place with a win here. Before the Christmas break, Manuel Pellegrini’s side is fresh from a 4-0 rout of Getafe and is undefeated in their last two.
The pregame SBOTOP betting odds see a huge gap between these two teams, but this match could be closer than you think.
Talking Points
No Mbappe, huge problem for Real Madrid
Real Madrid just announced that Kylian Mbappe had suffered a knee injury that would keep him out of the pitch for weeks. The Frenchman sustained the injury during a public training session yesterday, which is a massive blow for the team, as he’s their leading scorer with 18 league goals and is the frontrunner for this season’s Pichichi award.
Before this bad news, Mbappe scored the game-sealing penalty against Sevilla last December 21 and bagged a brace to avert disaster against Talavera in the Copa del Rey Round of 32. With Mbappe out, who will be the one who can bail the team out in the tough moments?
Well, it’s supposed to be Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, who have five and four league goals this season. However, Vinicius Jr. is reportedly having tension with head coach Xabi Alonso, and the Brazilian is not the natural centre-forward who can replace Mbappe in the starting XI.
With that said, we envision Alonso going with Gonzalo Garcia as the starting No. 9 indefinitely. The Real Madrid academy graduate showed glimpses of his potential during the Club World Cup last summer, when Mbappe was unavailable due to illness. However, since the season started, Garcia hasn’t played much with Mbappe present.
Hernandez carrying Real Betis
On the other hand, Real Betis expect Cucho Hernandez to continue to spearhead their attack this weekend. The 26-year-old forward is Los Verdiblancos’ top marksman with seven league goals and three assists this season. And Hernandez likely has Antony, Pablo Fornals, and Aitor Ruibal behind him, given their performance against Getafe last time out.
Hernandez is joint-fifth in the Pichichi race alongside Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Julian Alvarez, and he can leapfrog them all this Saturday. Moreover, Real Betis are reportedly seeking better competition for Hernandez this January transfer window, with Fabio Silva and Evan Ferguson on their radar, and Cedric Bakambu and Chimy Avila on the chopping block.
History
Real Madrid and Real Betis split their two league meetings last term, with the former winning 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on September 2024, and the latter winning 2-1 at the Benito Villamarin Stadium on March 2025, when Isco hit the match-winning penalty against his former club.
In 2023-24, these two teams shared the spoils in their two league encounters. The Seville outfit has a recent Bernabeu success under its belt, having notched a 2-0 success in May 2019.
Los Blancos have the slight edge in recent form, winning three, drawing one, and losing one in their last five La Liga matches, while Los Verdiblancos have two wins, two draws, and one loss in the same period. Their current positions in the La Liga table are also where they ended up last year.
Betting Tip
As mentioned, the La Liga 2026 odds favour the hosts to take maximum points on Saturday. Real Madrid are 1.41 favourites to win, while Real Betis are 5.70 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.58 in the 1X2 market. However, given the La Liga 2026 news on Kylian Mbappe’s absence, this fixture should be tougher to call than usual.
We reckon that goals and highlights would only come a few and far between at the Santiago Bernabeu this weekend. Besides our recommended bet, bettors may also add Under 3.50 at 1.78 and Under 3.00 at 2.28, with Total Goals 2-3 at 2.27 being the middle ground. Meanwhile, the Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of Real Betis – the result of their previous league encounter – has a staggering offer of 19.50 your bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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