Real Madrid were well worth their victory over Barcelona last week, but that will mean nothing if they can’t get a win against Real Betis today.
Barcelona were unconvincing in their 1-0 win over Real Sociedad last night but it did allow them to return to the top of La Liga for now.
Betis are formidable at home and we’ve seen that Real are inconsistent at best on their travels, so this does have the look of a tough fixture.
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It seems like the perfect time to get some fresh legs into the team, especially at left back where Marcelo has played in the two huge games against Man City and Barca.
The Brazilian stalwart has been outstanding for years but there are clear signs that his athleticism is starting to slide, so a report from AS will come as welcome news.
They suggest that French left back Ferland Mendy is ready to return from a muscle injury for the game tonight, and it’s likely that Zidane will rely on him to play in order to give Marcelo a rest.
Mendy will give more pace to the team but he’s nowhere near as good as Marcelo in a technical sense, so it will be interesting to see how he fares, especially if he is matched up with the evergreen Joaquin on that flank.