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Real Madrid host Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday as Kylian Mbappe remains in search of his first goal in Spanish soccer. The French superstar has already scored once for Los Blancos in the UEFA Super Cup but so far his maiden strike in the Spanish topflight has been elusive as Carlo Ancelotti's men have struggled to get going. Their Andalusian visitors are also struggling to get going for the moment, so this could be the moment that it starts to click into place for Mbappe against Manuel Pellegrini's side.

Real raised expectations with a 2-0 win over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup with Mbappe scoring but draws against Mallorca and Las Palmas away from home and a late win over Valladolid have contributed towards a frustrating start for the Spanish and European champions. Ground is already being lost at the summit of La Liga despite Los Merengues extending their unbeaten league form to 35 games so there will be an expectation and a need for Mbappe and his teammates to start gelling here.

Betis are tricky opponents for Real, though, and especially of late with draws in each of their last three meetings. Los Beticos have had UEFA Conference League playoffs to contend with so a pair of draws is not hugely surprising with a game in hand against Getafe already to consider. A comfortable two-legged win over Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih saw Betis into the League Phase which marks a fourth consecutive appearance at that stage of continental competition but now is the time to pick up maximum points in La Liga which they have not done at Santiago Bernabeu since 2019.

Here are our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:

How to watch and odds

  • Date: Sunday, September 1 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Santiago Bernabeu - Madrid, Spain
  • TV: ESPN Deportes | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
  • Odds: Real -350; Draw +480; Betis +1000

Story so far

Real are looking to get back to winning ways having drawn with Mallorca and Las Palmas on the road since winning the UEFA Super Cup and a late flourish against Valladolid. Betis are after a first victory but have played a game less so two draws from two outings will not be too worrying for now -- especially if they can avoid defeat here.

Team news

Real: Jude Bellingham remains out while David Alaba is working his way back and Eduardo Camavinga is still unavailable. Jesus Vallejo is a doubt after missing the last few games and Ancelotti might bring Dani Carvajal, Arda Guler and Rodrygo back in.

Possible Real XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni; Rodrygo, Guler, Vinicius; Mbappe.

Betis: Nobel Mendy, Cedric Bakambu and Isco are expected to miss out although Marc Bartra still has an outside chance of making it. Chimy Avila should be back in time after illness while Nabil Fekir has gone and will be replaced by Gio Lo Celso.

Possible Betis XI: Silva; Sabaly, Llorente, Natan, Perraud; Carvalho, Roca; Fornals, Ruibal, Ezzalzouli; Chimy.

Prediction

Real should have enough to squeeze past Betis but it will not be easy as most La Liga games have shown the defending champions so far. Should Mbappe continue to struggle, we might even see Ancelotti elect to bring him off early to see if that sparks any sort of change in attacking fortunes. Pick: Real 1, Betis 0.