Mourinho's First Challenge Arrives: Real Madrid Visit Betis After Four Years Without an Away Win, Benefiting Barcelona

After returning to Real Madrid, Mourinho quickly led the team to three consecutive victories, showing strong competitive form. However, the upcoming match will become the first major test of his coaching career. At 3:00 a.m. Beijing time on September 5, Real Madrid will face Real Betis away from home, and the match will undoubtedly be a tough battle.

Last season, Betis finished fifth in La Liga and therefore secured qualification for the UEFA Champions League. Under manager Pellegrini, Betis have now become a strong contender in La Liga, with the gap between them and giants such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid not particularly large. As the home team, they are fully capable of competing against these three major clubs.

This season, Betis won their first home match 1-0 against Real Sociedad. In addition, they had already gone unbeaten in 12 consecutive home matches last season, including a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid. Surprisingly, Real Madrid have not tasted victory at Betis' home ground for nearly four years. Even during the 2023-2024 season, when Real Madrid won the La Liga title, they were still unable to defeat Betis away from home.

Although Real Madrid's form has gradually improved under Mourinho's guidance, they narrowly avoided a draw against Espanyol in their first away match of the season, with substitute Espi scoring a late winner to save the team. Against a strong Betis side, key players such as Mbappe and Bellingham need to deliver more efficient performances, as Betis will not easily give Real Madrid opportunities to counterattack. If Real Madrid's star players continue to waste chances and cause the team to drop points, it would undoubtedly be a major benefit for Barcelona.

In this round of matches, Barcelona will also play away from home, but their opponent is an out-of-form Valencia side. In the first three rounds of this season, Valencia have had poor results, recording only one draw and two losses, and they are clearly unlikely to pose a major threat to Barcelona. Therefore, Barcelona have a very high chance of securing three points. If Real Madrid fail to defeat Betis, the gap between the two giants could quickly widen.

Given that Real Madrid and Barcelona have similar strength, both teams need to approach their derby matches cautiously, meaning results against other La Liga teams will have a major impact on the title race. The team that drops points first against mid-table and lower-ranked opponents could find itself in a difficult position. Mourinho certainly does not want to fall behind Barcelona early in the season, so this match is a must-win opportunity to end Real Madrid's four-year away winless streak against Betis. Another defeat would not only interrupt Real Madrid's winning momentum but could also create significant internal pressure. Although many star players in the squad currently support Mourinho, if results decline, negative voices are likely to appear in the media, creating greater difficulties for him.