Real Madrid: 3 keys to victory against Real Betis on LaLiga’s Matchday 3

3. Target Betis’s left-flank for the majority of attacks

Betis’s central defenders were rock solid in their last game. The duo of Victor Ruiz and Edgar Gonzalez ended with a 7.4 match rating each per Sofascore. In fact, the Cadiz attack was pretty much helpless. Other than the penalty and one clear chance that they were forced to take early compromising the accuracy of the strike were pretty much it for their attack. The Betis defense held up really well and it would be difficult to break them down, as it always is.

My shout for Los Blancos would be good down their left. This means Gareth Bale needs to be brought into the match as much as possible. The duo of Sergio Canales and Juan Miranda guarding Betis’s left-flank lost the ball for a total of 13 and 18 times respectively per Sofascore. Overall, Cadiz’s attack created the most problems around these two. With Gareth Bale looking so intent on scoring, Real should also look to exploit Betis’s recent weakness.

The overall play in attack needs to be maintained and most chances are that it would be. The Don would figuratively make sure it is the case. Benzema has been linking up brilliantly with his partners and already has two goals and two assists in the league. On the other flank, however, a change can be predicted.

Eden Hazard’s game time may be compromised and we may finally see Vinicius Junior start after two marquee off the bench performances. That opens up yet another advantage for Real Madrid and that is his pace. His battle against Martin Montoya would be a key one that is if he starts. I would put my money into his pace driving Montoya crazy. And, if Hazard starts Real will have to be cautious with their approach and may have to resort to smart flicks and touches. Montoya had a brilliant game last time out and he’d be sniffing blood against Los Blancos too.