Real Madrid: 5 burning questions after tough win over Real Betis

Real Madrid defeated Real Betis on Saturday night, but they were pushed to their limit at the Benito Villamarin.

Although Los Blancos avenged their March loss at the Benito Villamarin by defeating Real Betis 3-2 on Matchday 3 of the 2020-2021 La Liga season, they were not comfortable throughout the match. Madrid blew an early lead to Los Verdiblancos, surrendering two goals in the span of two minutes, thanks to some great passing from former Madrid man Sergio Canales.

In the end, though, Real Madrid showed the heart of defending champions, coming back to win 3-2 after an own goal and a penalty. Here are five burning questions for Zinedine Zidane’s men as they head into a game against Real Valladolid on short rest.

Will Luka Jovic get a second straight start for Real Madrid?

I can’t think of a time when Luka Jovic got back-to-back starts for Real Madrid in 2019-2020, as it was a rare sight to see the new signing in the lineup at all. Jovic played a meager 422 minutes in La Liga last season, though he did score twice and bagged a brilliant game-winning assist against Sevilla.

In his start against Real Betis, Jovic had a mixed performance. He was anonymous for most of the match, doing his best to keep the pitch stretched vertically so that Karim Benzema could be the one to drop off in midfield in a creative role. Jovic didn’t need to drop off, because Real Madrid don’t need “too many cooks in the kitchen”.

But Jovic won a red card to make an impact before being subbed off for Borja Mayoral, who is on his way to Roma soon.

Jovic should start against Real Valladolid to get some momentum, but we’ll see if Zinedine Zidane makes the call.