In gameweek sixteen of La Liga, Real Madrid will return to play tomorrow when they travel to Seville to face Real Betis.

Even if Girona is right behind Los Blancos in the league standings with the same number of points, Los Blancos are far from enjoying their current position at the top. After last weekend’s win over Atletico Madrid, Barcelona also found themselves on the rise, and they now trail only Atletico Madrid by four points.

Betis, managed by Manuel Pellegrini, are in seventh place in the league. With a victory tomorrow, they would secure a berth in the playoffs—that is, assuming either Athletic Club or Real Sociedad loses all three points.

Even with all of their injuries this season, Real Madrid still has a long way to go before they can claim victory. A few weeks ago, Daniel Carvajal joined this list; he has since been sidelined.

Kepa Arrizabalaga’s return to goal will be welcomed by Carlo Ancelotti, despite the outstanding performance of Andriy Lunin in the last two weeks as a substitute. Additionally, Jude Bellingham and Luka Modric have been summoned.

According to Madrid Universal, Real Madrid will field the following lineup versus Real Betis tomorrow.

Defence

“He will decide” on starting Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal for tomorrow’s match, according to Ancelotti, but that’s practically a certainty. As expected, tomorrow will see the return of the Italian boss, who clearly favours the Spaniard over Lunin.

It is anticipated that David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger would continue to play in the center of defense. The Madrid captain, Nacho, is also a starting candidate, though he will likely come off the bench for a later appearance.

Lucas Vazquez will likely start for Madrid at right back because the team does not have many other options in that position. Last Saturday, the 33-year-old nearly registered an assist in that capacity and had a strong showing in the second half.

In the end, Fran Garcia will likely start at left back instead of Ferland Mendy, who started and played the whole 90 minutes against Granada.

Midfield

Jude Bellingham is not 100% healthy, but Ancelotti thinks he should start the game because of the circumstances. Despite training alone today, the Englishman will play a pivotal role for Madrid in their match against Betis.

Behind the strikers, he will play a part in the offensive midfield. And a trident, with Toni Kroos serving as its pivot, will most certainly trail behind him, aiding him.

He should start with Federico Valverde on the right side of the defense in a hybrid role, with Valverde serving as the second pivot when the other player rests. The last left-sided midfielder in this system is likely to be Dani Ceballos.

Forward

Now that we’re moving to attack, Rodrygo will almost certainly commence. The Brazilian has been on fire recently, scoring seven goals and setting up four more in his past five matches for Real Madrid (including last weekend’s game).

When it comes to Ancelotti, Brahim Diaz and Joselu will have to settle their differences.

We expect Brahim Diaz to start up top for this game based on the Granada encounter alone, when he had a fantastic goal and the other player wasted opportunities.

Hernandez · Rudiger · Vazquez · Rodrygo · Brahim Bellingham · Ceballos · Kroos · Valverde

Bench

Carlo Ancelotti will undoubtedly be keeping an eye on specific players in an effort to shield them from harm. Depending on the situation, one of them, Bellingham, might be substituted for either Joselu, a forward, or Nico Paz, a midfielder.

There are a number of players on the defensive line who could become tired and Nacho could get the call-up to play in defense for the same reasons.

Even Gonzalo Garcia could see action. He made his first-team debut in November’s match against Cadiz and has since received frequent calls to the main squad.