The only two teams with perfect records so far in La Liga will go head-to-head at the Santiago Bernabeu when Real Madrid host Real Betis in Matchweek 4 of the 2022/23 season.
Real Madrid are the defending champions and the favorites to win the title again, while Betis are looking to take another step forward after a fifth-place finish last season left them on the doorstep of Champions League qualification.
This match will be the first real test of the young season for both teams. Betis have only given up one goal in their first three with forward Borja Iglesias scoring in every match so far. Madrid, who will be playing their first home game of the season, have conceded in all three matches, but goals from stars Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. have helped make up for them.
If last season's head-to-heads are any indication, it should be a tight encounter at the Bernabeu. Only one goal was scored across the two league matches played between these two teams in 2021/22 with Betis able to come away with a scoreless draw in this fixture back in May.
The sides return the bulk of the squads from last season with one major difference: Madrid spent £68.3 million/$88 million to acquire midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, while the Betis acquisitions amount to a grand total of £16.5m/$19m in transfer fees (Willian Jose and Luiz Henrique). Qualification to the Champions League is critical to boost the Verdiblancos' budget in future seasons given their limited budget.
LIVE BLOG: All the action from Real Madrid vs. Real Betis as it happens
Real Madrid vs. Real Betis TV channel, live stream
The match from the Santiago Bernabeu will kick off at 16:15 local time on Saturday afternoon. Here's how to watch the Matchweek 4 contest around the world:
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| Australia | Sun, Sept. 4 | 00:15 AET | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | Sat, Sept. 3 | 10:15 ET | — | TSN GO, TSN site/app |
| Hong Kong | Sat, Sept. 3 | 22:15 HKT | Now Sports 2 | Now Player, M Plus site/app |
| India | Sat, Sept. 3 | 19:45 IST | MTV India, Sports18 | Voot Select, JioTV, Sports18 |
| Malaysia | Sat, Sept. 3 | 22:15 MYT | — | beIN Sports Connect |
| New Zealand | Sun, Sept. 4 | 02:15 NZST | Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports | beIN Sports Connect |
| Singapore | Sat, Sept. 3 | 22:15 SST | — | beIN Sports Connect, Star Hub Sports+ |
| UK | Sat, Sept. 3 | 15:15 BST | — | LaLigaTV, Amazon Prime |
| USA | Sat, Sept. 3 | 10:15 ET | — | ESPN+ |
UK: The match will be available on LaLigaTV, which streams on Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
USA: All La Liga matches are available to stream in English and Spanish on ESPN+.
Canada: TSN holds TV and streaming rights for La Liga in Canada. The Real Madrid-Real Betis match will only be available via stream.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream all La Liga matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.
MORE: Real Madrid squad list and jersey numbers for 2022/23
Real Madrid vs. Real Betis lineups
Real Madrid are generally healthy, but with a UEFA Champions League coming up in midweek at Celtic, Carlo Ancelotti makes two changes to the lineup: Rodrygo is in for Federico Valverde, while Eduardo Camavinga starts in midfled with Toni Kroos on the bench. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy also take up the fullback roles.
Los Blancos also get Nacho Fernandez back on the bench, and his return will be handy with reserve defender Jesus Vallejo out. Right-back Alvaro Odriozola is also not in the squad and hasn't featured in La Liga play this season.
Real Madrid starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Thibaut Courtois (GK) — 2-Dani Carvajal, 3-Eder Militao, 4-David Alaba, 23-Ferland Mendy — 10-Luka Modric, 18-Aurelien Tchouameni, 12-Eduardo Camavinga — 21-Rodrygo, 9-Karim Benzema, 20-Vinicius Jr
Real Madrid subs (11): 13-Andriy Lunin (GK), 26-Luis Lopez (GK), 22-Antonio Rudiger, 6-Nacho Fernandez, 17-Lucas Vazquez, 19-Dani Ceballos, 8-Toni Kroos, 7-Eden Hazard, 11-Marco Asensio, 15-Federico Valverde, 24-Mariano Diaz
Real Betis will be without Argentina international centre-back German Pezzella, who will be serving a one-game suspension after his straight red card in the last match. He will be replaced by ex-Lazio defender Luiz Felipe.
Portuguese defensive midfielder William Carvalho is an injury absence after an undisclosed knock picked up last weekend prevented him from training. That opens the door for Sergio Canales to get his first start of the season after being hampered by an injury to start the campaign. Paul Akouokou was originally in the traveling squad but he is reportedly a last-minute scratch due to a traffic accident.
Youssouf Sabaly gets the start at right-back over Aitor Ruibal, while Sergio Canales makes his first start of the season. Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and forward Willian Jose are officially registered and will be hoping for their first minutes of the season.
Real Betis starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): 13-Rui Silva (GK) — 23-Youssouf Sabaly, 19-Luiz Felipe, 3-Edgar Gonzalez, 15-Alex Moreno — 5-Guido Rodriguez, 18-Andres Guardado —10-Sergio Canales, 8-Nabil Fekir, 7-Juanmi — 9-Borja Iglesias
Real Betis subs (10): 1-Claudio Bravo (GK), 25-Dani Martin (GK), 24-Aitor Ruibal, 33-Juan Miranda, 6-Victor Ruiz, 17-Joaquin, 28-Rodri Sanchez, 21-Loren Moron, 11-Luiz Henrique, 12-Willian Jose
MORE: Why did Casemiro leave Real Madrid?
Real Madrid vs. Real Betis best bets, odds
There was only one goal scored across the two matches in which both sides faced off in league play last season. In addition, in their last five trips to the Bernabeu, the visitors have been able to register a clean sheet. They haven't lost on the road to Real Madrid since 2017.
Real Betis can make this a close game, knowing they would likely not survive a shootout with Real Madrid's attacking firepower. The visitors' best chance to come away with a result will be to continue to be solid in the back (only one goal conceded in three matches thus far).
Even if there are goals in this game, it's still hard to envision this one turning into a barnburner. The odds for under 3.5 total goals are too attractive when considering these are two teams that won't cede an inch defensively.
- Pick: Under 3.5 goals (-145 or 1.68)
- Prediction: Real Madrid 2, Real Betis 1
| USA (Caesars) | Canada (Sports Interaction) | |
| Real Madrid win | -250 | 1.38 |
| Draw | +400 | 5.00 |
| Real Betis Win | +625 | 6.60 |
| Over/Under 3.5 Goals | +115 / -145 | 2.16 / 1.68 |
| Both Teams to Score (Y/N) | -145 / +115 | 1.62 / 2.02 |
| Real Madrid -1.5 (spread/handicap) | +100 | 2.01 |
| Real Betis +1.5 (spread/handicap) | -130 | 1.78 |
