Betis home form offers stern test of Real Madrid’s Friday tradition

Real Madrid take on Real Betis on Friday with their impressive record in La Liga matches played on that day of the week set against a worrying decline in their away results.

The Spanish champions visit Real Betis this evening in the fourth round of the league season, looking to extend a scoring sequence that has lasted almost two decades. According to Opta statistics, Real Madrid have found the net in each of their past 10 La Liga matches played on a Friday, recording seven wins and three draws during that run.

The sequence began with a 3-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna in 2002. It is the longest consecutive run of Friday matches in which Real Madrid have scored in the competition.

However, their broader away record provides Real Betis with encouragement. Real Madrid have lost three of their past eight La Liga matches on the road, alongside four wins and one draw. That is more defeats than they suffered in their previous 17 away league fixtures, a run in which they recorded 12 victories, three draws and two losses.

Real Betis, meanwhile, have developed a particularly strong record in Friday games. They are unbeaten in their last 18 La Liga matches played on that day, winning 11 and drawing seven. It is the club’s longest unbeaten sequence in the competition when matches are grouped by day of the week.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side also arrive with substantial home momentum. They have avoided defeat in their past 12 La Liga matches at home, winning seven and drawing five, and have won each of their last four fixtures at their own stadium.

Real Betis have not previously put together a home winning run of five matches or more in La Liga since October 2022. On that occasion, they reached six consecutive victories.

Real Madrid have nevertheless made a fast start in attack this season, with Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe both making a notable impact across the opening three league matches.

Bellingham has scored twice and supplied two assists, while Mbappe has scored four goals. They are the first Real Madrid pair since the 2018-19 season to each contribute to four goals during the club’s first three La Liga games of a campaign. Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema achieved the same figure that season, with four goal contributions apiece.

Real Betis forward Cucho Hernandez also has a record that could concern the visitors. He has scored in two of the four matches in which he has started against Real Madrid in La Liga. His first came for Huesca in March 2019, while his second arrived wearing the Real Betis shirt in January this year.

Pellegrini’s personal record against Real Madrid is mixed. The Chilean has faced them 27 times in La Liga, winning four, drawing 11 and losing 12. The 11 draws are his joint-highest total against any one opponent in the competition, matching the number he has recorded against Sevilla.