Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Real Betis | OneFootball

On Saturday, Real Madrid will take to the field one final time in Spain this year. The last matchday of La Liga sees the Merengues lock horns with Real Betis at home, and the game will be special for a number of reasons.

While Los Blancos sit comfortably on top of the table and have been crowned champions officially, Real Betis also have their fate in the league close to confirmed.

Nestled in seventh place on the standings, neither a win nor a defeat will change their place on the standings as they are four points away from the nearest placed teams on both sides.

Los Verdiblancos held the men in white to a 1-1 draw the last time they faced off this season and will look to spoil Toni Kroos’ farewell party tomorrow. Real Madrid, meanwhile, will look to get back to winning ways after an anti-climactic 4-4 draw against Villarreal.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Real Betis.

Signing off as champions

The 2023/24 La Liga season has been special to Real Madrid, not only for them clinching the title but also for the sheer dominance they have exerted in the competition.

Los Blancos have been the frontrunners in the domestic title race right from the get-go, leading almost throughout the campaign. Girona did well to put up some initial resistance, but the Merengues’ consistency through the second half of the campaign was simply flawless.

Having just lost one game in La Liga, Real Madrid have thus dominated the season in every sense. After all, they have scored 87 goals in 37 games and only conceded 26 goals in the process.

With one game to play in the competition, they are on 94 points and will look to sign off on a high come tomorrow. The result, after all, will be remembered for reasons beyond the team’s special run throughout the season.

It is thus only poetic that the men in white finish off a close-to-flawless campaign on a high and as the champions they have been all season.

A legend says goodbye

Irrespective of the result that unfolds on Saturday, Real Madrid’s clash against Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu will go down in the club’s history books engraved in gold.

Kroos says goodbye to the Bernabeu. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

It is common news at this point that Toni Kroos has decided to retire from the game this summer. The legend will thus call it time on his club career as well, closing the curtains on his time as a Real Madrid player.

The game tomorrow will thus be the final time Kroos steps onto the grasses of the Bernabeu as a Real Madrid player, marking the end of what has been a special era for Los Blancos.

Kroos has been one of the pillars of the Merengues’ midfield for ten years now, winning endless accolades and growing from strength to strength with every passing season.

As Madrid slowly comes to terms with the player’s decision to retire while still at the peak of his powers, fans must say their goodbyes to the veteran tomorrow in what will prove to be an emotional affair.

Further, one must not forget that the game will also mark the final home appearance for several other players including Nacho Fernandez, Kepa Arrizabalaga and possibly Dani Ceballos.

Preparing for the big game

As Kroos emphasised in his farewell post penned for the fans, the team’s focus at the moment is completely on the UEFA Champions League final scheduled for next month.

Transcending the raw emotions that unfold tomorrow, thus, will be the dressing room’s larger objective of maintaining the momentum and preparing for the game that awaits at Wembley.

It is thus likely that Carlo Ancelotti looks to minimise rotations against Los Verdiblancos, especially considering that the team has had close to a week of rest.

The lineup that starts tomorrow, could well be the XI for the finale against Borussia Dortmund with rhythm being of paramount importance.

Thibaut Courtois is expected to start in goal tomorrow keeping the UCL final in mind, while the defence will also likely be unchanged.

The major doubt, however, is Jude Bellingham whom the manager could prefer resting given his heavy minutes all season.