Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho will make some adjustments to his defense to host Real Betis at the Bernabeu in La Liga on Friday night.
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Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho will make some adjustments to his defense and midfield in order to face Real Betis away from home in La Liga on Friday night.
After three wins in three outings during Mourinho’s second stint in the Spanish capital so far, Madrid is keeping the heat on leaders and defending champions FC Barcelona.
On the back line tonight, Ibrahima Konate is expected to take the place of Antonio Rudiger to partner Dean Huijsen centrally, and help Thibaut Courtois keep a clean sheet.
The German started Sunday’s 4-0 win over Malaga, but Mourinho should go for the Frenchman instead.
At right back, Denzel Dumfries moves Trent Alexander Arnold to the bench, with the Dutch signing from Inter Milan impressive so far in his new colours.
After replacing Alvaro Carreras following his error against Real Sociedad in the season’s home debut, Marc Cucurella is now a lock at left back.
Midfield sees changes as well. Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Diaz are the main casualties, in the pivot and right wing positions.
As a consequence, Bernardo Silva will partner Fede Valverde in a double retreated partnership behind Jude Bellingham. To the Englishman’s right, Arda Guler will look to be his creative best.
Vinicius Jr. is of course the left winger, while up top it is a four-goal sensation in Kylian Mbappe that looks to challenge FC Barcelona’s Raphinha for the Pichichi.
What Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho said
“It has to be a great Real Madrid. If not, it will not win. Betis, as you say, are a very good team and Real Madrid’s latest results there… Well, they are very… objectives. It’s difficult, it’s difficult to win there. And to win you have to be at your highest level. There is no other.”
“There is a pressure [here] that does not exist in other championships, which is to always have to win. There are championships in which champions don’t always have to win. The champions in France or Germany have the peace of mind of ‘we already know that we are going to be champions’. It’s hard here. There’s this pressure here, week after week. Where a result other than winning is not a good result. And that’s it. This pressure has an important weight in teams that have to play a league with these characteristics.”
Real Madrid Starting XI Vs. Real Betis: Courtois; Cucurella, Huijsen, Konate, Dumfries; Silva, Valverde; Vinicius, Bellingham, Guler; Mbappe
Real Madrid Vs. Real Betis will kick off at 21.00 local time in Spain.
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