Real Betis v Real Madrid: Preview, expected line-ups, and where to watch

La Liga, Round 4

Real Betis BET

4/09/2026 20:00

Real Madrid REA

Estadio de La Cartuja

Real Betis v Real Madrid La Liga preview

Jose Mourinho has made light of “stupid comments” he exchanged with Betis counterpart Manuel Pellegrini while the Portuguese was at Chelsea and the Chilean was at Manchester City more than 10 years ago.

The pair are preparing to meet again on Friday, when Mourinho’s side can extend their perfect start to the season to four wins and Betis will be seeking a third win to vanquish their 5-2 defeat at Levante on Saturday.

“I’ve had some words – some very stupid comments – with him that I’m not proud of,” rued Mourinho. “Later – and if he hears me, he will laugh – I paid him back well.

“The Premier League he won with Manchester City [in 2014], I gave it to him. Two games before the end, if Liverpool had drawn with Chelsea, they would have been champions.

“But we won and he became champion. I paid him back well. Then we met a few times, and he showed me what a great gentleman he is.

“In a friendly match – a Betis-Roma friendly in Rome – due to a referee who deeply loved Betis, we ended up with seven players on the field.

“He told his players, ‘Let’s not crush them’. We let the match finish as it was, 3-1. He was a true gentleman because they could have scored eight, but they didn’t.

“He is a great coach, an example as a coach and as a person. I like him a lot. I will give him a hug before and after the match.”

Appointed in 2020, Pellegrini restored Betis to the Champions League for the first time in 21 years with a fifth-placed finish last season.

“We’ve been rivals for many years and we’ve had countless sporting clashes on the pitch,” the 72-year-old said of Mourinho.

“Some statements made years ago are irrelevant. Everyone can say what they want. I don’t have any kind of animosity towards him.

“The press tried to create a conflict; we’ve faced each other many times, winning and losing.

“I have a very high opinion of him as a coach and I see him as much more mature now than perhaps a few years ago. I think he’s more level-headed now.

“Like all teams at the beginning of the season, we have been regaining our rhythm game by game. We played quite well in two and quite badly in the last one.”

Real Betis v Madrid La Liga team news

Winger Abde Ezzalzouli is sidelined through illness for Betis, who hope to have midfielder Giovani Lo Celso back next week.

Goalkeeper Diego Conde (shoulder) and wideman Aitor Ruibal (knee) are injured but 19-year-old winger Jose Morante is available following a knee problem.

Midfielder Dani Ceballos rejoined Betis from Madrid, where he had spent nine years, on transfer deadline day, although the Spain international will not be involved.

Ireland striker Troy Parrott could make his home debut, having arrived from AZ on August 20 for a reported £17.1 million.

Defenders Raul Asencio (muscle) and Ferland Mendy (tendon), midfielders Thiago Pitarch (knee) and Aurelien Tchouameni (muscle), winger Rodrygo (knee) and forward Endrick (muscle) are injured for Madrid.

Mourinho expects 19-year-old Sergio Martinez to be on the bench after Madrid activated the midfielder’s release clause of around £2.6m at Santander.

Real Betis v Real Madrid predicted line ups in La Liga

Real Betis starting XI: Alvaro Valles, Fran Garcia, Natan, Marc Bartra, Hector Bellerin, Marc Roca, Facundo Bernal, Rodrigo Riquelme, Antony, Isco, Troy Parrott

Real Madrid starting XI: Thibaut Courtois, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rudiger, Marc Cucurella, Federico Valverde, Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe

Real Betis v Real Madrid stats, recent form

• Betis are unbeaten in four home matches against Madrid (W1 D3) since a 1-0 defeat in August 2021, although that was part of a run of six defeats in seven (W1) in such games
• They lost three of their four meetings with Mourinho during his first spell at Madrid between 2010 and 2013, the exception being a 1-0 home win in November 2012 courtesy of Benat’s goal
• Only Madrid (23) have committed fewer fouls in this season’s top flight than Betis (27), although three teams have received fewer yellow cards than Los Blancos and five have received fewer than Los Verdiblancos
• Alvaro Valles (10) is one of nine goalkeepers to have made at least nine saves in this season’s Liga, with only five players making more
• Following a victory at Espanyol followed by triumphs at home to Real Sociedad and Malaga, Madrid have won their first three LaLiga games in consecutive seasons for a second time
• Madrid have had the most attempts on target (27) of any team in La Liga in 2026/27, ahead of Barcelona (26)
• Only Osasuna and Alaves (1 each) have conceded fewer goals in the division than Madrid and Barca (2 each)
• Jude Bellingham has four direct goal contributions across their opening three Liga matches, with Kylian Mbappe average almost five attempts on target per game
• Mbappe is Madrid’s top scorer with four goals from an expected goals (xG) total of 4.21; Rodrigo Riquelme is Betis’, with two from an xG of 0.84
• Bellingham and Vinicius Junior (2 each) are among the seven players to have set up more than one goal in La Liga, with only Barcelona’s Anthony Gordon (3) producing more assists

Where to watch Betis v Madrid: TV channel, live online streams

Kick-off on Friday is at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Premier Sports 1 and streaming available on a vast range of devices via the Premier Sports app.

A Premier Sports subscription costs £120 a year, £11.99 per month on a 12-month contract or £16.99 per month with 30 days’ cancellation notice required.

Real Betis v Real Madrid La Liga prediction

Match Prediction

Real Betis

1 – 1

Real Madrid

Betis are on a 12-match unbeaten home run (W7 D5) since December 6 in La Liga, making Pellegrini's team well-placed to be the first team to hold Madrid this season