Real Madrid will look to keep their momentum going as they visit Real Betis in the first away game of the Zinedine Zidane era.
Los Blancos will miss injured Gareth Bale, but they will recover Sergio Ramos, who has reportedly recovered from his muscle problems and will make it in the line-up.
The main doubt for Zidane will be whether to pick Raphael Varane or Pepe to accompany Ramos in the centre of the defence. The new Los Blancos manager chose Pepe in his first game, so the Portuguese has more chances to feature.
James Rodriguez is expected to replace Bale in midfield, despite Zidane is not completely happy with the Colombian’s attitude. Yet, against Sporting Gijon, the Frenchman chose Jese Rodriguez over James, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he did it again against Betis.
Betis have recently dismissed manager Pepe Mel and last week they showed that has made them improve. New coach Juan Merino has radically changed the starting eleven and the team looks more solid now. The recent draw against Villarreal has boosted the players’ morale and they are eager to prove their value against Los Blancos.
Possible line-ups
Betis: Adan; Molinero, Pezzella, Bruno, Vargas; Ndiaye, Petros; Kadir, Fabian, Cejudo; Castro.
Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; James Rodriguez, Modric, Kroos, Isco; Benzema, Ronaldo.
