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Three talking points ahead of Real Betis vs Real Madrid | La Liga MD 4
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- Three talking points ahead of Real Betis vs Real Madrid | La Liga MD 4
Three talking points ahead of Real Betis vs Real Madrid | La Liga MD 4
On Friday night, Real Madrid will take to the field against Real Betis at the Estadio de La Cartuja in their matchday 4 clash in La Liga.
Los Blancos began their new season with an away clash against Espanyol which they won by a 201 margin. That, however, was only possible owing to a last-gasp Carlos Espi winner.
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After two home wins in their next two outings, Real Madrid are now back on the road and will face a relatively difficult opposition in Real Betis.
Los Verdiblancos , who are also playing in the UEFA Champions League this year, were a standout in last season's La Liga and have constantly shown to be able to take down giants in the competition.
As Real Madrid target a four-game winning streak, the Verdiblancos will be keen to put an end to that momentum.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Betis vs Real Madrid.
Decisions in defence
Real Madrid conceded two goals in their two opening league games of the new season, and the manager opted for the same defensive line on both nights.
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Alvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries were in charge of the defence against both Espanyol and Real Sociedad, and they failed to keep a clean sheet on both nights.
For the team's third clash against Malaga, Jose Mourinho introduced changes at the back, swapping out three players from the starting XI.
Trent Alexander-Arnold came in for Dumfries, Marc Cucurella replaced Carreras and Antonio Rudiger came in for Konate on the night, and the new-look defence oversaw the team's first clean sheet of the new season.
With his first-choice defence failing to keep the opposition's score to zero twice and the rotated lineup managing to achieve it in the one chance they were given, Mourinho now faces a dilemma in defence ahead of tomorrow's clash.
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Should he stick with the same combination that featured against Malaga? Or should he head back to his preferred lineup which started on match days one and two? A big decision awaits.
Mourinho's right-wing dilemma
Will Diomande finally start a game? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
In Real Madrid's three games so far, two different players have featured as starters on the right-wing, and Yan Diomande is not one of them.
Indeed, the club's record signing is yet to start a game under Mourinho this season as the manager continues his attempt to gradually phase the player into his dynamics.
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Meanwhile, Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz have both had their chances to impress, and have both done decently well in that right-wing role.
Guler started for Real Madrid against both Espanyol and Real Sociedad and acted as an extra man in midfield who added to the team's control and creativity in the middle of the park. His presence added dominance into Real Madrid's performances.
Brahim, meanwhile, started in the team's most recent clash and had a decent display on the wing. While he was not at his best, he did combine well with his teammates and helped with movements between the lines.
Ahead of tomorrow's game, it remains to be seen if Mourinho persists with one of Guler or Brahim, or opts to finally hand Diomande his first Real Madrid start.
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The UCL is coming
The UEFA Champions League draw has pitted Los Blancos against some big names in the league phase of the competition this time around, but one of the biggest tests of them all arrives next week.
Immediately after the game against Real Betis, Real Madrid will head back home to prepare to host Inter Milan in the first match day of the new UCL season, and there is a good chance Mourinho's decisions will be influenced by the new competition's arrival.
Taking on Inter Milan will be Real Madrid's most difficult challenge of the new season yet, and the manager will want all his big names to be fit and raring for that game. After all, every win matters hugely for a top-8 finish in the league stage.
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It will thus be interesting to see if Mourinho opts to rest any of his big attacking names tomorrow, with Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. starting all of the team's games so far.
Beyond that, Mourinho already made rotations in the team's game against Malaga in midfield by dropping Bernardo Silva for Eduardo Camavinga. That too remains a big question for the manager.
