Real Betis vs Real Madrid, Ceballos and Isco will work their magic against their former clubs

Real Betis and Real Madrid will do battle in Matchday 26 of this LALIGA EA SPORTS season, taking each other on at the Estadio Benito Villamarín in search of three crucial points in the European and title race. This LALIGA EA SPORTS Matchdayfootballers on show, including Vinícius, Johnny Cardoso, Kylian Mbappé, Giovani Lo Celso, Rodrygo and Cucho Hernández. 

That’s not all, as two midfielders really stand out in this fixture: Dani Ceballos and Isco Alarcón. The two Andalusians will be taking on their former clubs, where they enjoyed many good memories and successes. Now, they’re each important players for their current clubs, so we can expect a fascinating midfield battle this Saturday. 

Real Betis academy graduate Dani Ceballos returns home

In the case of Dani Ceballos, he is returning to the stadium of his boyhood club. Now an important player for Real Madrid, he has never hidden his love for Real Betis, where he played in their academy and made his professional debut. Then, in 2017, he completed a transfer to the capital city side. 

With Real Betis’ first team he made his debut back on April 26th 2014 in a match against Real Sociedad at the Estadio Benito Villamarín. In total he played 105 times for the Andalusian outfit, scoring seven goals and providing nine assists. Then, in his Real Madrid career, he has already racked up 177 appearances and boasts seven goals scored and 16 assists. This season, he is starting many games for Carlo Ancelotti in the sacred position where Toni Kroos used to play. 

In fact, the midfielder has become a fan favourite among the supporters at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, due to his performances on the pitch. As well as his precise passing, he is committed to tracking back and helping the defence, often winning back possession. When he makes a homecoming in this weekend’s fixture, he does so in one of the best moments of form of his career. 

Real Betis star Isco takes on the club where he won five UEFA Champions League titles

Battling Ceballos in midfield will be Isco, who is also in great form. Just last matchday he scored two goals against the stubborn defence of Getafe CF at the Coliseum, earning Los Verdiblancos a 2-1 win and three points, which puts them in seventh position in the championship. 

The man from Málaga was injured in the first third of the 2024/25 LALIGA EA SPORTS season, and that really hurt Real Betis. They struggled to pick up points at the rate of previous seasons, but their form has improved since Isco has been back in the line-up. He has played in 10 league games this term, with four wins, three draws and three defeats, scoring four goals and providing one assist for an average of a direct goal contribution every two games. 

Isco’s last game was his 50th appearance for the club, for whom he has scored 14 goals and provided nine assists so far. He has felt at home at Real Betis since arriving, and is smiling once again in LALIGA EA SPORTS. Now, he’ll take on the club where he achieved so much success and reached his peak. 

It was in July 2013 that Isco arrived at Real Madrid, after dazzling for Málaga CF and helping them qualify for the UEFA Champions League. He kept growing as a player and, with Los Blancos, he won five UEFA Champions League, three LALIGA EA SPORTS, four Club World Cup, three UEFA Super Cup, three Spanish Super Cup and one Copa del Rey titles. All this was achieved in 353 games, in which he produced 53 goals and 58 assists. It will undoubtedly be a special match for the Spaniard this weekend. 

Five draws in these teams’ last 10 meetings

Real Betis and Real Madrid have been very evenly matched when they have faced each other in recent seasons. Across the past 10 matches between the two teams, the result has been a draw on five occasions. There were also four wins for Real Madrid, and in three of those they only won by a single goal, while there has been one victory for the Andalusians, also by just one goal. 

Only in the earlier meeting of this season was the difference between the two sides more than one goal, when Kylian Mbappé’s first LALIGA EA SPORTS brace earned the capital city side a 2-0 win. As for Real Madrid’s previous two visits to the Estadio Benito Villamarín, they both ended in draws, a 1-1 and a 0-0. This LALIGA EA SPORTS Matchday 26 clash could be another close one, especially with so much quality and motivation in both squads.