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Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Real Betis | La Liga MD18
Real Madrid ended 2025 with three back-to-back wins, none of which were particularly convincing. Yet, that has been the story of the Merengues in a nutshell so far this season..
As they step into 2026, they stare a formidable opposition in their first game back – Real Betis.
Los Verdiblancos are currently sixth in the league standings with 17 games played and have won and drawn seven games apiece. They have scored 29 goals and conceded 19 so far this season.
Heading into Sunday’s game, moreover, Real Betis have not lost a single one of their eight away games in La Liga – a staggering record that Xabi Alonso’s men must be wary of.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Real Betis.
New year, new start
2025 was not Real Madrid’s best year in any sense of the word with the team going without any major title, finishing second to Barcelona in all domestic competitions, and coming nowhere close to the UEFA Champions League.
Added to that was the crisis of Vinicius Jr.’s poor form, the team’s decline under Carlo Ancelotti in the first half, and the adaptation to Xabi Alonso in the latter half of the season.
All in all, Los Blancos were left unstable for the greater part of the year, and that is precisely what they must look to turn around stepping into 2026.
The problem with Real Madrid has never been about the quality but the consistency, and the men in white must begin finding answers to how they can shine as a unit starting tomorrow evening.
Taking on Real Betis in the situation they are in will be easier said than done, but as they step into a new year, it is high time the players turn a new leaf and look to kick start on a fresh mind.
There is, after all, a lot at stake including their pride, the manager’s job, and potentially the future of several stars whose stocks are falling with every passing day.
An attacking crisis
There is, of course, no place to start the discussion about Real Madrid’s first game of 2026 other than Kylian Mbappe’s injury, one that rules out his participation against Real Betis.
The player is working hard to return for the Spanish Super Cup, but he will not feature tomorrow and the manager has a serious decision to make as to how he plans to replace him.
Mbappe has been Real Madrid’s saviour to a great extent this season, taking up responsibility in the final third and scoring more than half of the team’s goals. With him out, the manager does not have too many options considering Endrick’s recent departure.
The first option on Alonso’s mind will be to bring in a like-for-like replacement in Gonzalo Garcia, and thus restore the firepower with a natural centre-forward. The downside, however, is that the player is likely to be rusty after not featuring regularly.
A second option will be to start the duo of Vinicius and Rodrygo Goes with an additional midfielder entering the dynamics for better ball retention and chance-creation. The question in that setup, however, will linger on the clack of a clinical finisher.
The third option, albeit unconventional, would be to start Jude Bellingham as a false nine, an experiment that sounds good on paper but will be a risky bet given how it is a novel concept for the team.
Momentum for the Super Cup
Real Madrid’s game against Los Verdiblancos on Sunday is a crucial one from a league standpoint, especially when one considers how Barcelona are already four points clear of them in the standings.
Beyond that superficial point, however, there is another major objective for which Real Madrid must win on Sunday – the upcoming Spanish Super Cup.
As always, the Spanish Super Cup presents Real Madrid with their first chance of winning a domestic title this season – one that the dressing room needs for their morale and the manager requires to salvage his job.
Enroute to the title, however, Real Madrid must get the better of Atletico Madrid in the semifinal and possibly Barcelona in the final – something that will be difficult without momentum on their side.
Given that tomorrow’s clash is Real Madrid’s final game before travelling to Saudi Arabia, they must deliver a convincing performance and take three points against the visitors at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid made a mess of their game against Elche last night, and it is clear that the men in white have several flaws with no answers at the moment.
From being 2-0 up, the men in white bottled their lead and threw the game into jeopardy by permitting Elche to score two goals. The result, as many saw it, was set to end in a draw.
With some persistent attacks in the dying minutes, however, Real Madrid managed to build pressure on Elche and eventually scored one more goal at the death to take home the three points.
Needless to say, however, the negatives from the game far outweigh the positive news of the three points.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Elche 2-3 Real Madrid.
Another second-half collapse
After Real Madrid’s win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend, Jose Mourinho stressed the fact that Real Madrid actually played only one half and that the fatigue began showing after the break.
On the night, the opposition began to enjoy more dominance and create chances after half-time as they outran and outpressed Los Blancos to good effect.
Last night was no different, and the second half went completely awry.
The men in white entered the half-time break cruising with a 2-0 lead and significant dominance over the proceedings. They had a massive xG, with Elche barely creating any chances of note.
After the break, however, the entire dynamic of the game changed as Real Madrid took a step back and handed the impetus to the hosts. Pressing high and attacking without fear, Elche dominated Real Madrid for most of the second half and had a staggering 60% of possession.
They scored twice – in the 71st and 83rd minutes – and equalised Real Madrid on the night. Given the visitors’ shambolic display, it was deserved for Elche.
At this point, the constant second-half collapses and fatigue struggles of the team after just 45 minutes of action must worry Jose Mourinho immensely. Heading into a derby away from home, Real Madrid have to do much better.
The away curse continues
While Real Madrid’s form at home has been imperious this season, their form away from home has been equally shocking.
They began their season with a last-minute win over Espanyol, and their second league game of the season on the road came against Real Betis and ended in defeat.
Heading into their third away game last night, there was an element of worry about how they would perform, and the trend continued once more.
Real Madrid did well to take the lead on the night, but they made the second half a massive war and far more difficult than it should have been.
At this point, serious questions have to be raised about Real Madrid’s form on the road and their inability to keep games under control when playing in away stadiums.
Heading forward in the season, Los Blancos have some massive away games coming up against far more difficult opposition. The Madrid derby is up next, and the team’s form is nothing promising heading into that fixture.
Carlos Espi saves the day… again!
Real Madrid are currently on 15 points after six games in the league, but Carlos Espi has directly contributed to a massive chunk of that.
If not for the new Spanish striker’s ability to come up clutch in big moments, Real Madrid could well have been on just 11 points at this stage in the season, and the four points he has added are absolutely crucial.
Against Espanyol, it was Espi who scored a stoppage-time winner to hand Real Madrid all three points after a complicated match. Last night, he repeated the same heroics once more.
With the team staring at a draw, the new signing was at the right place at the right time to bury Kylian Mbappe’s assist in stoppage time, handing Real Madrid all three points at the death.
He may not have played a large part on the night, but his cameo was again powerful and it is clear that he elevates the team’s attack and provides new solutions in front of goal. Espi has already proven his talent, and his ability to perform under pressure is what makes him special.
