Real Madrid make their 2026 debut on Sunday afternoon when they host the surging Real Betis at the Bernabéu.
A dreadful run to end the year saw Real Madrid relinquish the La Liga lead to bitter rivals Barcelona, firmly placing Xabi Alonso on the hot seat six months into his tenure. Los Blancos will aim to leave a trophyless 2025 behind them and get off to a positive start in 2026.
Real Madrid are seven points adrift of Barcelona at the summit of La Liga and they can ill afford not to take the chance to shrink that gap to four on Sunday. A positive result will lift confidence ahead of a trip to Saudi Arabia for a daunting Madrid derby vs. Atlético Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal next week.
Real Betis won’t be an easy matchup, though, as Los Blancos have just one win in their last five meetings. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have rounded into form recently and will be confident they can compete against a struggling Madrid side.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the La Liga clash.
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Real Madrid vs. Real Betis Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
|
Real Madrid |
Real Betis |
|---|---|
|
Real Madrid 2–0 Sevilla – 12/20/25 |
Real Betis 4–0 Getafe – 12/21/25 |
|
Talavera 2–3 Real Madrid – 12/17/25 |
Real Murcia 0–2 Real Betis – 12/18/25 |
|
Alavés 1–2 Real Madrid – 12/14/25 |
Rayo Vallecano 0–0 Real Betis – 12/15/25 |
|
Real Madrid 1–2 Man City – 12/10/25 |
Dinamo Zagreb 1–3 Real Betis – 12/11/25 |
|
Real Madrid 0–2 Celta Vigo – 12/7/25 |
Real Betis 3–5 Barcelona – 12/6/25 |
|
Country |
TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United States |
ESPN Select, ESPN App, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV |
|
United Kingdom |
Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports Player |
|
Canada |
TSN+, TSN 4 |
|
Mexico |
Sky Sports Mexico, Sky+ |
The biggest story regarding Real Madrid over the last week revolves around a knee injury that will sideline Kylian Mbappé for at least three weeks. The talismanic Frenchman has 18 goals in La Liga this term, so Alonso will now faces the impossible task of replacing that productivity.
To further complicate things, Dean Huijsen missed the last training session before the clash, casting doubt over his availability. Los Blancos could have six notable absentees in Huijsen, Mbappé, Éder Militão, Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Brahim Díaz.
All eyes will be on the attacking trio of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham. All three were sensational in Real Madrid‘s charge towards their most recent Champions League title, but all three have struggled to consistently replicate that level since.
Still, they remain three world-class stars and with the exciting Gonzalo García leading the line, Los Blancos will be expected to survive without Mbappé.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Real Betis (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Valverde, Rüdiger, Asencio, Carreras; Tchouaméni, Güler; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; García.
Pellegrini must also work around a number of significant absentees. Junior Firpo and Diego Llorente are expected to be unavailable, as is former Real Madrid star Isco, who scored the match-winner for Betis when these two teams last met.
Los Verdiblancos will also be without Cédric Bakambu, Ez Abde and Sofyan Amrabat, who are away representing their countries at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Still, Betis have found success of late due in large part to four specific players. Nelson Deossa has settled after joing from Liga MX last summer, becoming a great addition to an attack made up of Antony, Pablo Fornals and former MLS standout Juan “Cucho” Hernández, who has seven league goals this term.
Real Betis predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Vallés; Bellerín, Bartra, Natan, Gómez; Deossa, Roca; Antony, Fornals, Ruibal; Hernández
Mbappé’s absence is significant for Real Madrid as the team has struggled offensively without their leading goalscorer. Alonso’s side has been suspect for the better part of the last two months, but now things get increasingly difficult without the Frenchman.
Nevertheless, the holiday break might be exactly what a number of Madrid players needed to reset and return energized for the second half of the season. Even without Mbappé, Los Blancos still boast a star-studded attack, and all it takes is one moment for them to pounce.
Vinicius Junior will hope to be the one to answer the call in what will unquestionably be a hard-fought battle at the Bernabéu.
Prediction: Real Madrid 2–1 Real Betis
