La Liga: Diomande set for first Real Madrid start against Real Betis on Friday
Real Madrid will lock horns with Real Betis at the Estadio Benito Villamarín this Friday night as they look to secure a good result on the road in La Liga. Los Blancos earned a dominant 4-0 win over Malaga recently, so they will be eager to keep their good form going in the league.
Jose Mourinho may opt for the 4-3-3 formation and is expected to make some changes to his first team for this game. Ibrahima Konate and Yan Diomande could both get a chance to play from the start of this clash.
Thibaut Courtois will operate in between the sticks for Los Blancos after he kept a clean sheet in his last outing. Ibrahima Konate will play alongside Dean Huijsen at the centre of the Real Madrid backline as they look to keep a solid shape when defending inside their half.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will try to prove his value as the right-back, while Marc Cucurella looks to impress on the other side as the left-back. Both will need to time their runs into attack.
Antonio Rudiger and Denzel Dumfries will offer cover for the defensive positions on the bench.
In the midfield, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde will make up Mourinho’s midfield. All three of them need to retain possession well at the centre of the park if they want to create some decent chances for their teammates to find the back of the net.
Bernardo Silva will have to be content with a spot on the bench as they wait for their chance to shine in the second 45 minutes if needed.
On the attack, Vinicius Junior will try to put his pace to good use on the left flank, while Yan Diomande hopes to make a difference as the right-winger. Both of them will try to get in behind the opponent’s backline at every chance they can get.
Kylian Mbappe will lead the charge for the Madrid giants up top. He recently scored against Malaga, which should keep him in good spirits going into this game.
Arda Guler and Carlos Espi will be available for selection on the bench.
