Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine at Real Betis

Real Madrid will face Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin on Saturday night. Here are five players on Los Blancos who need to be at their best.

Real Betis have won both of their first two games of the 2020-2021 La Liga season thus far under Manuel Pellegrini, so they will not be an opponent for Real Madrid to take lightly. Even last season when they struggled to a bottom-half finish, Betis defeated Los Blancos in March 2-1 at the Benito Villamarin.

Real Madrid drew their first game of the 2020-2021 season 0-0 against Real Sociedad, which was also on the road. Here are five players who must stand out on Matchday 3 in order for Los Blancos to pick up the full three points this time.

Real Madrid DM Casemiro

Casemiro did not play in the season opener against Real Sociedad, as Zinedine Zidane rolled the dice with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric as the deepest-lying midfielders. The gamble paid off defensively, and both Kroos and Modric were both excellent despite the lack of goals.

That said, expect to see the world’s best defensive midfielder back in the starting lineup this weekend. Casemiro is way too good to sit on the bench, and he is necessary against a team with Nabil Fekir, Joaquin, and Sergio Canales. All three of those men are dangerous, and Canales has nine key passes already this season, per WhoScored.com.