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Match Preview
Having notched a win against Paris Saint-Germain during the midweek, Real Madrid’s form appears to be on the up. The offense is flowing at the moment as the team has collectively scored eight goals in their past two – with Ronaldo leading the way with five of his own.
Although this offense has been enjoyable to watch, the same players who have been apart of those eight goals may not appear this weekend against Real Betis. In a press conference Saturday evening, coach Zinedine Zidane made it known that he plans on handing over valuable minutes to his squad’s youngsters.
With four matches in the next nine days, Madrid will need to get rest wherever they can. Their weekend opponents Real Betis are in good form at the moment having won their past two matches, so playing a weaker squad could foretell weekend disappointment for Madrid.
Injuries
Real Madrid only has two listed injuries at the moment: Jesus Vallejo (Hamstring) and Toni Kroos (Ligament Problems). For Vallejo, his eight-match injury may render him out this weekend, but a midweek return may be in the cards. As for Kroos, his estimated time of return is unknown.
Potential XIs
Real Madrid
Navas; Hakimi, Nacho, Varane, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kovacic, Vazquez, Asensio, Ronaldo; Benzema
As stated by Zidane, Madrid is expected to give playing time to the team’s younger members.
Real Betis
Adan; Amat, Mandi, Bartra, Junior; Boudebouz, Fabian, Guardado, Joaquin, Guerrero; Loren
Real Betis has been on quite a good run of form and any changes to the lineup would be unprecedented.
Prediction
2-1 Real Madrid-Betis
This past week has been enjoyable for Madridistas everywhere and a loss this weekend would dampen that mood. It is understandable that Zidane wants to rotate the lineup to give his players some rest but a squad full out-of-form youngsters may not be the best thing for the team right now.
In past matches, Madrid’s second team has looked underwhelming and done right boring. The team seriously misses the services of James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata. Although these problems may fade in the summer, they are still existent today.
It is not unheard-of Madrid’s youngster going off. Every member of this team has had their shining moment in years past. Let’s just hope all of them can come together to regain some life with a win against Real Betis.
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM LA LIGA
Date: 2/18/2018
Time: 20:45 CET, 02:45am EST, 11:45 am Pacific.
Venue: Benito Villamarin, Seville, Spain.
Available TV: BeIN Sports (USA), BeIN La Liga (Spain).
Available Streaming: BeIN Sports (USA),Fubo.TV (EVERY Real Madrid game with a high-quality and legal stream, click here to sign up and benefit from a winter discount for new members and Managing Madrid readers).