Betis vs Real Madrid: how and where to watch - times, TV, online

Real Madrid are on their travels once again - this time they make their way down south to take on Real Betis at the Benito Villamarín in the third week of action in LaLiga 2021/2. It’s still early days of course but Ancelotti’s team will be hoping to make amends for the points dropped last week away at Levante.

Betis meanwhile have yet to gain a win, having drawn both of their matches so far. They were held to 1-1 draws by Mallorca on the opening day and then at home to regional rivals Cádiz last week.

Betis vs Real Madrid: latest squad news

Unfortunately, the fixture comes just too soon for new Betis signing Willian José who only arrived a couple of days ago and has only taken part in one training session. The Brazilian spent six months on loan with Real Madrid Castilla in 2014 and did make one appearance for the first team, under Carlo Ancelotti. He has been left out of the squad and won’t feature against his old club.

Coach Manuel Pellegrini, who also has connections with Madrid, has included three players in his 23-man squad list who all make their first appearance this season - Marc Bartra, returnee Germán Pezzella and Victor Camarasa. Also in the list is William Carvalho who is reported to be close to joining Norwich in the Premier League. But there was no room for Mexican midfielder Diego Lainez, who is sidelined with a sprain or forward Rober who has not been able to overcome a muscular problem.

Visitors Real Madrid will be travelling down to Seville with a 20-man squad. Ancelotti has a number of players who are unavailable and must shuffle his side against Betis. Reserve goalkeeper Andriy Lunin is self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19; his place will be covered by Castilla's Luis López with Toni Fuidias as the third choice keeper. Left-backs Marcelo and Mendy missed the first two games of the campaign and remain out of the list. Nacho is also absent after failing to recover from a sprain he picked up last week at Levante. That means that Lucas Vázquez could cover at right-back with Dani Carvajal switching over to the left side. Alternatively, Miguel Gutiérrez could be fielded at left-back. In midfield, Madrid are still without Toni Kroos, Luca Modric and Dani Ceballos - all three are still working their way back to match fitness after injury. It’s looking more hopeful in attack where the coach has the luxury of being able to make changes. Hazard, Benzema and Bale started the first two games of the new season but Ancelotti may decide to make the most of Vinicius’ radiant form. The Brazilian has hit three goals in 55 minutes of playing time and that could earn him a place in the starting XI.

We have a score to settle says Pellegrini

Pellegrini has beaten his old club before but not since he took the Betis job. He knows what to expect from them on Saturday - even if they will be under strength. “Madrid are always focused and they are a team which is used to winning,” the Chilean coach said. “They are a very good team, coached by a very good coach. It is going to be a very difficult game regardless of all of the stories which are coming out in the press. That won’t affect their performance at all. We are still a bit hurt about what happened when we last met last season when we were leading 2-1 before two VAR decisions and Emerson was sent off. We will be trying to take all three points this time”.

Ancelotti played down the media focus on Kylian Mbappé’s supposed arrival and said of Madrid’s rivals, “Betis play well as a team and have made reinforcements. They have a coach with a great deal of experience. We have to improve, especially in defence, we need to correct the mistakes we made in the second half against Levante. The key to tomorrow’s game will be defending well. At Real Madrid we don’t play to draw, we will be going out to win”.

What time does Betis vs Real Madrid kick-off?

The 2021/22 LaLiga Week 3 meeting between Betis and Real Madrid kicks off at the local time of 22:00 hours (CEST) on Saturday 28 August.

United States:

ET: 4 pm

PT: 1 pm

For everywhere else in the world, you can check here to see what time the Betis versus Real Madrid match gets underway.

Where can I watch Betis vs Real Madrid?

If the Betis vs Real Madrid match is available in your country, you can check here to see what channels or platforms will be showing the game.

United States: ESPN+

United Kingdom: LaLigaTV

Is the Betis vs Real Madrid game available online?

The Betis vs Real Madrid game is available in most nations through the rights holders' online platform, if they have one. The best option is to check who is showing the game in your country and if they have an online service or iOS/Android app to watch it on.

Betis vs Real Madrid live on AS English

You can also follow our live text commentary here on AS English. We will be building up to the match an hour or so from kick-off before giving you a minute-by-minute account from sunny Seville as the action unfolds.