(Football news) This weekend’s match will essentially be a dead rubber because Carlo Ancelotti’s team is already sailing off into the title sunset, while their opponents won’t move from seventh place.
Real Madrid, who had previously put Alaves and Granada to the sword in a ruthless manner, scored at least four goals for the third straight La Liga match last weekend against Villarreal. Real Madrid has refused to sit back and relax since ripping the La Liga crown from of Barcelona’s grip.
Along with goals from Joselu and Lucas Vazquez, young prodigy Arda Guler scored twice, but the Blancos defense was only too pleased to support Alexander Sorloth in his pursuit of the Golden Boot, giving the Norwegian striker a massive four goals in an eight-goal spectacular.
A spectacular watch for the neutrals and arguably the Real Madrid fanbase – whose side had already wrapped up the title some weeks ago – that engrossing 4-4 draw leaves Ancelotti’s crop on 94 points at the top of the division, their highest total since reaching the coveted 100 in 2011-12 under Jose Mourinho.
Ancelotti’s current iteration of Real Madrid will not hit that three-figure total this time around, but they are already enjoying the longest unbeaten run La Liga has ever seen, navigating each of their last 31 games without defeat since September’s 3-1 reverse to Atletico Madrid.
Diego Simeone’s men were coincidentally the most recent side to get the better of the La Liga champions in any competition, but four months on from January’s Copa del Rey heartache, Los Blancos’ streak without losing stands at 24 matches in all competitions, making them firm favourites to crush Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League fantasy at Wembley on June 1.
Betis will have more modest European aspirations in mind for the 2024-25 campaign, having failed in their quest to rejoin the Europa League table for the fourth season running, and a first foray into the Europa Conference League league stage awaits Los Verdiblancos next term.
Pellegrini’s troops exhibited their powers of recovery last month following a miserable March – where they took zero points from 12 on offer – but their six-match unbeaten run was quickly brought to a halt at home to Real Sociedad on May 19.
Brais Mendez and Mikel Merino sent Imanol Alguacil’s men into the half-time break two goals to the good, and even though Abde Ezzalzouli had the chance to cut the arrears in half from the spot, Alex Remiro was equal to the task, thereby ensuring that Betis would emerge on the losing side for just the third time at home in the 2023-24 La Liga.
Los Verdiblancos’ reverse to Sociedad eliminated their chances of a top-six placement – they are now four points behind Alguacil’s troops while possessing an identical lead over Villarreal in eighth – so the overriding goal at the Bernabeu will be keeping their dignity intact.
Pellegrini’s men certainly did that in a 1-1 stalemate with Real Madrid in their opening battle of the campaign – the third draw from the last four meetings between the two Real outfits – but that low-key scrap marked a seventh game without a win for Los Verdiblancos against the champions since a 2-1 success in March 2020, where Cristian Tello was the hero.
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