Real Madrid chases fourth straight win on the road against Betis at La Cartuja

Real Madrid heads into LaLiga's fourth matchday with a clear goal: grab first place before diving headfirst into the Champions League. To pull that off, the team needs to come out alive from a ground that's never easy, even if this time it won't technically be the opponent's usual home turf.

Los Blancos visit Real Betis this Friday, September 4, though not at the Benito Villamarín. Instead, they'll play at La Cartuja, arriving as favorites despite the injuries still piling up in the treatment room. A win would give Madrid its fourth straight victory to open the league season, a result that would also serve as a confidence boost right before its Champions League debut.

The numbers back up Madrid's status as favorite: the club sits in second place with nine points, level with Barcelona but behind on goal difference. Madrid has won all three matches it has played so far, a perfect start that Xabi Alonso will want to keep alive before the schedule gets tougher with matches on two fronts.

Betis, for its part, isn't doing badly either. The club sits in seventh place with a record of two wins and one loss, and both of those wins came at home, in front of its own fans. That gives Betis an extra reason to believe it can make things difficult for Madrid: if this start to the season has shown anything, it's the team's strength as a host.

Recent history and how both teams arrive

Recent history calls for caution on Madrid's side. Last season, in the same type of matchup with Betis playing host, the game ended in a 1-1 draw that split the points between the two sides. Betis hasn't been an easy team for Madrid to beat in recent meetings, so the favorite tag shouldn't be mistaken for an easy night.

As for the likely lineups, Betis would take the field with Álvaro Valles in goal, a back line of Ángel Ortiz, Diego Llorente, Diego Gómez and Junior Firpo, and a midfield featuring Nelson Deossa, Facundo Bernal, Rodrigo Riquelme and Pablo Fornals, with Antony and Cucho Hernández leading the attack.

Real Madrid, still missing several players due to injuries, would likely field a lineup with Thibaut Courtois in goal, Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konaté, Dean Huijsen and Marc Cucurella across the back, and a high-caliber midfield of Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva, Arda Güler and Jude Bellingham. Up top, the usual duo: Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé.

Kickoff time varies by region: 1:00 pm in Mexico City, 2:00 pm in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, 3:00 pm Eastern Time in the US and in Chile, and 4:00 pm in Argentina and Uruguay. Beyond the result, this matchup will set the tone for how Madrid handles the final stretch before its Champions League debut.