Álvaro Arbeloa named Real Madrid’s side to face Real Betis at La Cartuja on April 24, 2026, for the 32nd matchday, with kickoff scheduled for 9:00 pm CEST.
Arbeloa made four changes to the team that beat Alaves 2-1 on April 22, bringing Rüdiger and Mendy into the matchday setup and recording Pitarch and Diaz in starting roles. The manager’s notes show Rüdiger and Mendy replaced Militao and Carreras in the side, while Pitarch and Diaz were listed ahead of Guler and Tchouameni.
Real Madrid’s match list against Betis included Lunin, Mestre, Javi Navarro, Carvajal, Alaba, Trent, Asencio, Á. Carreras, Fran García, Rüdiger, Mendy, Huijsen, Diego Aguado, Bellingham, Camavinga, Valverde, Thiago, Cestero, Manuel Ángel, Vini Jr., Mbappé, Gonzalo, Brahim and Mastantuono. Álvaro Arbeloa also decided not to include Dani Ceballos on the list for Friday night; Ceballos is expected to leave Real Madrid in the upcoming summer.
Real Betis announced its squad on April 23 and returned Antony after a one-match suspension, but Junior Firpo missed out with a knock. Betis reported that Diego Llorente and Angel Ortiz remained possibilities for selection despite ankle and muscle problems, respectively.
This was the 143rd meeting between the clubs, with Real Madrid holding 78 wins to Real Betis’s 32 in the fixture list. The match was available to viewers on Orange TV and on Dazn, with broadcast feeds listed as DAZN La Liga in Spain and Deportes in the USA.
The matchday paperwork exposes a tension in the build-up: Pitarch and Diaz are recorded as starting ahead of Guler and Tchouameni even as other records list Guler and Militao out for the season with injuries, and Rüdiger and Mendy are recorded as replacing Militao and Carreras while Á. Carreras still appears on the match list. Those overlaps leave open questions about availability and selection choices for the run-in.
The most consequential unanswered question after Arbeloa’s team announcement is straightforward: does the omission of Dani Ceballos from the match list mark the opening act of a summer exit, and will Real Betis be the destination? How that transfer picture resolves will shape Real Madrid’s options for the final stretch of the season.
