Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine at Real Betis

Real Madrid CB Sergio Ramos

One of the quiet standouts in Real’s clean sheet over Sociedad last week, Sergio Ramos showed off his classy passing and intelligent defending to stymie Imanol Alguacil’s normally active attack.

Ramos is coming off another sensational season, stepping up to play his best football down the stretch of the campaign when Real Madrid were sewing up their 34th La Liga title.

The captain will have to cover for Nabil Fekir on Saturday, as the French attacking midfielder loves to drift inside and cause problems. Fekir is one of the most talented players in La Liga, as once he clicked for Los Verdiblancos, he was one of the top five players in the entire league. He caused all sorts of problems for Los Blancos in March.

Fekir, when in form, is unplayable. It will take a team effort from Ramos, Casemiro, and left back Ferland Mendy to keep him in check.

Ramos could also easily make an impact as a goal-scorer against Real Betis. This feels like a road game where a heroic action on a set piece will make all the difference for Los Merengues, and Ramos is generally the one who can be trusted to come up with the goods. Header from a corner, perfect free kick, or cool-taken corner. Ramos can do it all as the leader.