Real Madrid welcomed Real Betis to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in a buoyant mood on Saturday evening having seen their arch-rivals Barcelona thrashed by Levante and giving them an opportunity to retake top spot in La Liga.
However, it didn’t work out that way as they played out a frustrating 0-0 draw against Rubi’s side who built on their midweek victory over Celta Vigo with a solid point in the capital, with Eden Hazard’s disallowed strike being the closest the hosts came to making a breakthrough.
Here, this tactical analysis considers the tactics of both Real Madrid and Real Betis. The analysis of the La Liga sides shows what Zinedine Zidane and Rubi can take from the game, including some interesting tactical elements.
Line-ups
Zidane sprung just one real surprise with his selection as Ferland Mendy was preferred to Marcelo at left-back, though Luka Modrić also replaced Federico Valverde and Rodrygo Goes retained his spot in attack ahead of the fit-again Vinícius Junior.
Rubi made more intriguing changes. Lining up with six defenders on the field, he deployed central defender Marc Bartra as a holding midfielder in front of a back five with wing-backs looking to offer greater width. Nabil Fekir took up a more offensive midfield role, operating just behind Loren Morón.
