On Sunday, 1 September, Real will play at home against Betis. This is the central meeting in the fourth round of the Spanish championship. Real have had a very poor start to the season, picking up just five points. The possibilities of Betis are still difficult to understand - the team had only two draws.

Real does not confirm expectations at all. Initially, bookmakers predicted three easy wins at the start: Mallorca, Valladolid and Las Palmas - the opponents did not cause concern. But now there is already a reason to sound the alarm - minus four points from Barcelona.

Obviously, a lot of extra attention to Kylian Mbappe as well. The Frenchman is completely disappointing in terms of play and stats. The striker doesn't have a single productive action so far. This only increases the pressure. In the match against Las Palmas, the only goal from the penalty spot was scored by Vinicius - tellingly, because Mbappe was not allowed to execute an eleven-metre penalty.

While the "cream" can objectively complain about the lack of luck. In the last match, the club created 3.28 xG chances - this is one of the record figures of the season. In other words, Real must break through at some point.

Betis went through some solid changes in the squad over the summer. The club let several important players go: the team left systemic midfielder Guido Rodriguez, experienced striker Willian Jose, sold two defenders - Riad Shadli and Abner. The club also did well as a buyer: Marco Roca, Diego Llorente, and also managed to sign a promising striker Victor Roque from Barcelona. Stable coach Manuel Pellegrini has material to work with. The Chilean has been at Betis for four years.

One of the main problems at the start of the season is Isco's injury. Last season, the midfielder revitalised and was one of the best players in the Spanish league. While in his place, Nabil Fekir, who is always suffering from injuries, is trying to return to his optimum form.

It is important that Betis did not play the match of the third round of La Liga, but also did not rest: the club qualified for the Conference League, where they easily defeated Kryvbas. In the championship Betis has only two draws so far. The club shared points with Girona at home in a spectacular encounter, and away the club could not get Alaves, although they had a very big game advantage.

Betis under Pellegrini is one of the most uncomfortable opponents for Carlo Ancelotti. Real have won three of their last ten matches, never winning by more than one goal. Within the framework of last season there were two draws (0:0 and 1:1). Now the odds on the guests look overvalued - the team can definitely avoid a rout. Real will be satisfied with a minimal victory.