LA LIGA LIVE: Follow all the action from Real Betis v Real Madrid as it happens


Real Betis v Real Madrid (3pm)

Real Betis: To follow

Real Madrid: To follow

Real Madrid can afford no slip-ups at bottom side Real Betis as they bid to keep alive their La Liga title hopes.

They enter Saturday afternoon's match at Benito Villamarin in Seville trailing bitter rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid by three points, but are clear favourites to win having gone 17 matches unbeaten since October.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti said in the build-up that his side have too much nous to drop points against Betis.

The Italian said: 'Some games can throw a curveball and it is important to maintain focus.

'I don't need to tell my players what they are up against in Betis. They are clever and know what to expect.'

Gareth Bale could make a return to the starting XI after featuring in the midweek Copa del rey win against Osasuna after four matches out with a calf injury.

The match gets underway at 3pm, so join us from 2.30pm for live coverage including live updates from our reporter Pete Jenson in Spain.

 
 
Adam Shergold

Host commentator

16:48
FULL-TIME: Real Betis 0 Real Madrid 5

A very comfortable afternoon for Real Madrid, who move level on point with pace-setters Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for 24 hours at least. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria and Alvaro Morata.

16:47
GOAL! Real Betis 0 Real Madrid 5 (Morata 90)

Pete Jenson: Even in cruise control they manage to get a fifth. Morata pokes the ball home after Ronaldo had bicycle kicked Marcelo's cross into the six-yard box. 0-5

16:46
89min - Real happy to play out time

Pete Jenson: Morata crosses and Bale shoots wide. Real Madrid just cruising now.

The 'BBC' of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano will grab the headlines but Modric's control of the game has been sensational. He came alive for Madrid last season with that goal at Old Trafford and hasn't looked back. 

16:42
85min - Betis fans streaming to the exits

Pete Jenson: Some Betis fans heading for the exits but most staying until the bitter end, no doubt to vent their anger at president Miguel Guillen.

Marcelo shoots wide as Real look for a fifth and Jorge Molina shoots over as Betis look for their first.

16:35
77min - Double switch for Madrid

Pete Jenson: Ramos and Benzema are replaced by Nacho and Morata - some welcome minutes for the 21-year-old who Madrid do not want to leave his January; 12 minutes more suffering left for Betis.

16:26
69min - Di Maria makes way for Illaramendi

Pete Jenson: Di Maria is taken off and replaced by Asier Illaramendi as Madrid look to close the game down (as if that is really necessary 4-0 up). Xabi Alonso moving more freely after treatment and continues to run the game with Modric

16:19
GOAL! Real Betis 0 Real Madrid 4 (Angel Di Maria 62)

Pete Jenson: Di Maria joins the party. With a rocket from about 35 yards out after a corner had been cleared. 4-0.

Eighth goal of the season for him.

Four of the best: Angel Di Maria celebrates with Luka Modric after making it 4-0
(Picture: Getty Images/AFP)
16:16
60min - Alonso needs thigh treatment

Pete Jenson: Xabi Alonso needs treatment on a right thigh problem but is okay to continue. Ronaldo shoots again and draws another fine save from Andersen. Credit to the Betis fans who are still making plenty of noise. One hour played.

16:13
55min - Ruben Castro subbed off

Pete Jenson: After just 10 minutes of the second half Garrido further ingratiates himself with the Betis fans by taking off their favourite player Ruben Castro. Last season's top scorer is still a long way short of match fitness after missing the start of the season. 

16:09
51min - Betis fans turning their ire on the directors

Pete Jenson: Angry Betis fans turning their attention and protests to the Betis directors' box. On the pitch Ronaldo should have made it four but Anderson pushes his shot away for a corner.

16:03
SECOND HALF - Real Betis 0 Real Madrid 3

The second period has started in Seville and surely it's a question of how many Real Madrid can score...

Pete Jenson: Second half starts and nearly more bad news for Betis. Real Madrid won a free-kick on the edge of the area. Again it favoured the left-footer but Ronaldo took it and sent it over Andersen's bar.

One man show: Cristiano Ronaldo takes on the Betis defence
15:49
HALF-TIME: Real Betis 0 Real Madrid 3
15:48
GOAL! Real Betis 0 Real Madrid 3 (Benzema 45)

Pete Jenson: Benzema scores his 100th goal in a Madrid shirt but it's all about the assist from Modric, brilliant from the former Tottenham midfielder. It's the last kick of the first half. 3-0 Madrid lead.

Three and easy: Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema marks his goal on the stroke of half-time
15:45
44min - Real close to a third from Carvajal cross

Pete Jenson: Bale is fouled again by Paulao. From the free-kick madrid almost get a third as Carvajal crosses and neither Ronaldo nor Benzema can finish - they should both have let the ball run to Bale who was better placed to finish left-footed. 

15:43
43min - Betis close to getting one back as half-time approaches

Pete Jenson: Betis should have a goal back. Baptistao gets away from Di Maria and delivers the perfect cross but Ruben Castro fails to get on the end of it. Let off for Madrid.

15:39
39min - Bale victim of chest-high challenge

Pete Jenson: Bale shows off chest high stud-marks after a late challenge from Betis centre-back Paulao. More Betis crosses cleared by Pepe and Alonso. They are getting the ball into Madrid's penalty area but without quality.

15:37
35min - Benzema denied a century as Real continue to dominate

Pete Jenson: Bale pokes the ball through a crowd of players to Benzema who scores from an offside position and the flag is correctly raised, would have been his 100th Real Madrid career. Marcelo is the next to get around the back of Betis but the cross is cleared.

15:31
31min - Betis fans sing their old manager's name

Pete Jenson: Betis fans singing Pepe Mel's name. 

Unfortunately that's not going to get him back - he's a Baggie.

15:26
GOAL! Real Betis 0 Real Madrid 2 (Gareth Bale 25)

... Bale steps up and takes the free-kick mentioned below, delivering it into the net. That's Bale's eighth goal in La Liga.

Pete Jenson: The set-piece favoured a left footer and Ronaldo stepped away to allow Bale to take the kick. Betis keeper failed to move, and so the Welshman has his second free-kick goal in his Real Madrid career. 

Inch-perfect: Gareth Bale fires home a free-kick to put Real Madrid 2-0 up
15:26
24min - Ronaldo outplaying the Betis defence

Pete Jenson: Ronaldo dribbles to the byline tying Javi Chica in knots on his way and then rolls the ball across the face of the six-yard box but no one is on hand to finish. The Balon d'Or winner is tormenting the home side. And now he has a free-kick on the edge of the area....

15:22
18min - Sergio Ramos goes into the book

The first yellow card of the game and it perhaps won't surprise you that it's Sergio Ramos who gets it.

Pete Jenson: Scrappy period of play with Betis sending over a couple of crosses comfortably cleared by Real Madrid.

They are already leaving holes at the back as they go in search of the equaliser - space that Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema and Di Maria will gladly make the most of.

Ramos booked booked for flying into a challenge on Baptistao. The referee hadn't given it but with 50,000 Betis fans screaming for justice the linesman raised his flag. Ramos got the ball and then the man - as a former Sevilla player there is no love lost for him here.

15:13
GOAL! Real Betis 0 Real Madrid 1 (Cristiano Ronaldo 12 mins)

Pete Jenson: Golazo from Ronaldo. Smashed in from the edge of the area. Nearly took the net off the frame of the goal.

That takes his tally to 37 for the season for club and country.

Golazo! Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his strike after 12 minutes to give Real Madrid the lead (Picture: Reuters)
Unstoppable: Ronaldo's shot whistled past the goalkeeper and into the net
15:10
9min - Bale's first involvement as Pepe misses with header

Pete Jenson: Bale gets to the byline and sends over his first cross. The centre is cleared for a corner which Di Maria takes and Pepe heads over. Ruben Castro has Betis' first chance at the other end with a shot held by Diego Lopez

15:06
5min - Late Marcelo tackle has the crowd howling

Pete Jenson: Very late challenge from Marcela on Javi Chica goes unpunished just to crank the noise inside the Benito Villamarin up a little more

15:03
2min - Ronaldo in the wars straight away

Pete Jenson: Underway and it takes Betis just 20 seconds to kick Ronaldo up in the air and concede the game's first foul.

He's had a brilliant week, of course, having claimed the Ballon d'Or in Zurich on Monday, snapping rival Lionel Messi's four-year winning stretch.

14:59
Kick-off is imminent in Seville

Pete Jenson: Ramos leads out Real Madrid. Casillas sat on the bench next to Morata who is still sporting his shiner from midweek. Great atmosphere as the two sides come out on to the pitch - that will play into Betis' hands (until they go behind).

14:45
Scene setter - Real chase parity with leading duo

Pete Jenson with some facts and figures ahead of the match: 

Real Madrid could go joint top tonight ahead of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid’s games tomorrow.They lost here 1-0 to Pepe Mel’s Betis last year and Mourinho pretty much declared the league lost.

Today Mel starts life at West Brom and his successor Juan Garrido could actually be sacked after less than a month in the job if Betis lose heavily. There has been no honeymoon period for Mel’s replacement losing four and drawing one.

On the opposite bench is Carlo Ancelotti going in search of the 500th win of his career today in his 878th game in charge.
 
There will be 50,000 in the Villamarin this afternoon despite Betis being bottom of the table – proper club where the locals follow their own team not Madrid or Barca.

Bale starting for Real Madrid gives him the chance to improve on his current appearance ratio of just 51 per cent - 1,208 minutes so far this season. Bale takes his place up front with Ronaldo and Benzema – the Frenchman currently stuck on 99 goals in a Madrid shirt.

Look who's back: Gareth Bale returned from injury with a late substitute appearance at Osasuna in the Copa del Rey in midweek and starts at Betis
The future's orange: Bale and Angel Di Maria challenge for the ball in training on Friday
14:33
TEAM NEWS: Real Betis v Real Madrid

First things first, here are the two team line-ups for this afternoon's match:

Real Betis: Andersen; Chica, Paulao, Amaya, Dídac; Lolo, Matilla, Salva; Leo Baptistao, Molina, Ruben Castro

Substitutes: Sara, Vadillo, Verdu, Juanfran, Juan Carlos, Nacho, Caro

Real Madrid: Diego Lopez; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Xabi Alonso, Di Maria; Bale, Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo

Substitutes: Casillas, Arbeloa, Nacho, Jese, Morata, Isco, Illarramendi

Carlo Ancelotti plays Gareth Bale from the start after the Welshman made his return from injury as a substitute in the Copa del Rey win over Osasuna in midweek. Arsenal target Alvaro Morata takes a place on the bench, but Fabio Coentrao, who is wanted by Manchester United, did not make the trip.

Good week: Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or for World Footballer of the Year on Monday
14:32
Hello and Welcome

Welcome to our live coverage of the La Liga match between Real Betis and Real Madrid at the Benito Villamarin in Seville.

With Atletico Madrid and Barcelona showing such stellar form, Real cannot afford to drop any points against rock-bottom Betis as they seek to draw level on points with the joint-leaders - at least temporarily.

Kick-off is at 3pm and we will have all the action live from Seville courtesy of our reporter Pete Jenson.