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Real Madrid snapped their winless April run with a unconvincing 2–1 home victory over relegation-battling Alavés on Tuesday, maintaining the faintest of pressure on La Liga table-toppers Barcelona.
A wave of whistles rang out at the Bernabéu as supporters voiced their displeasure, following a pivotal stretch of the season that has seen Los Blancos dumped out of the Champions League and fall further behind in the title race.
Any realistic hope of silverware this season now looks extremely remote, with only six La Liga matches remaining and a nine-point gap to bridge.
Having gotten past Alavés, Real Madrid will be expected to build momentum, finish the campaign as strongly as possible and—at the very minimum—make Barcelona earn their title.
Friday night's trip to Andalusia to take on Europa-chasing Real Betis presents a chance to narrow the gap at the summit, if only briefly before Barça's Saturday fixture. Another flat, uninspired display against a dangerous side will not sit well with the supporters.
Militão, Güler Add to Injury Concerns
Álvaro Arbeloa faces a number of fitness worries heading into Friday's match, with Thibaut Courtois, Rodrygo and Raúl Asencio already sidelined. Éder Militão also hobbled off during the La Liga victory over Alavés with what appeared to be a hamstring problem.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Arbeloa suggested "it doesn't seem to be anything serious." However, reports now indicate the Brazilian centre-back could be ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
Arda Güler also picked up a thigh complaint during the week, putting his season in jeopardy as well. With kick-off at La Cartuja arriving just 72 hours after the Alavés clash, some squad rotation is expected to manage player workloads.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Real Betis
GK: Andriy Lunin—Still searching for his first clean sheet of the season, this could be Lunin's final start before Thibaut Courtois makes his return from injury.
RB: Dani Carvajal—With Trent Alexander-Arnold given the nod on Tuesday, Carvajal may be brought in to offer fresher legs and a more defensively-minded approach against the in-form Abde Ezzalzouli.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger—Militão's injury against Alavés has ruled him out for Friday. Rüdiger is the more probable starter, though his workload also needs careful handling.
CB: Dean Huijsen—The young Spanish international put in a solid shift earlier in the week nullifying the danger posed by Lucas Boye, and is enjoying a strong run of form to close out the season after a difficult beginning.
LB: Fran García—Álvaro Carreras failed to impress against Alavés and may be given a rest ahead of the Seville trip. Both García and Mendy were unused substitutes on Tuesday evening.
RM: Federico Valverde—The Uruguayan's assist against Alavés brought his league goal contributions to 13 for the season. Beyond his attacking output, he will also be counted on defensively to help contain the Betis threat.
CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—Despite speculation linking him with a summer switch to Manchester United, Tchouaméni has remained one of Madrid's standout performers throughout the campaign.
CM: Jude Bellingham—The Englishman looked visibly frustrated when hauled off before the hour against Alavés. He has now gone nine consecutive appearances across all competitions without a direct goal contribution.
LM: Brahim Díaz—The Moroccan international could step in for the injured Güler, who now looks set to miss the rest of the season.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—On course for back-to-back Pichichi awards, Mbappé was still met with boos and whistles from the Bernabéu faithful during the Alavés match.
ST: Vinicius Junior—Like Mbappé, Vinícius has found himself on the receiving end of supporter frustration in recent weeks, as the two star forwards continue to struggle to find any consistent chemistry together.