Real Madrid have opened the La Liga season with nine points from three games and 10 goals, and they go to Real Betis with Kylian Mbappé already on four league goals. That is the obvious reason they look like favourites. The less convenient detail for Madrid is that Betis have avoided defeat in each of their last four home meetings with them.
Madrid's early scoring burst
Madrid are already second in La Liga, which gives a clear sense of how quickly they have moved into the title frame. The attack has been the standout part of it. Ten goals in three league games is a strong start by any measure, and Mbappé has carried a big share of that with four of his own.
Jude Bellingham has also chipped in with two league goals and four goal contributions, so Madrid are not leaning on one player alone. The balance in front of goal is what makes them hard to ignore, even before the fixture is taken into account.
Betis' home record in this fixture
Betis have their own reasons to think this is not a routine home game. They have gone four home meetings with Madrid without defeat, and Madrid's last away league win at Betis came in August 2021, a 1-0 result.
Sports Mole went with a 3-1 Madrid win, and The Hard Tackle also backed the away side by the same margin. That feels like the fair baseline here, but it is still a proper test for Madrid because Betis have found the net in 11 consecutive league games since a goalless draw with Espanyol in April.
Betis are also carrying a fresh warning sign after the 5-2 loss at Levante. They had started with consecutive 1-0 wins over Real Sociedad and Valencia, so this is a chance to show that the Levante defeat was a bad night rather than the start of a wobble.
The match is set for 6 September in Real Betis vs Real Madrid, and Madrid will expect their start to stand up. Betis' home record says the game should be tighter than the table suggests.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
