Real Betis

Real Betis

Real Betis face a gruelling run of fixtures against Spain's elite. The Seville club have six matches lined up against the country's three biggest sides - Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid - with home and away encounters against each.

The schedule offers little respite. Betis will host Atletico Madrid and Barcelona at the Benito Villamarín before travelling to the Wanda Metropolitano and Camp Nou. They also face Real Madrid at home and away, with the Bernabéu trip among the sternest tests available in La Liga.

These are the matches that define a mid-table side's season. Betis cannot afford to be passive against the big three. Even a single win from this sequence would represent a solid return; multiple victories would mark genuine progress. The away fixtures carry particular weight - performances at the Bernabéu, Camp Nou and Wanda Metropolitano will reveal whether Betis possess the quality to trouble the elite on their own ground.

The fixture congestion also raises questions about squad depth. Betis will need to rotate carefully to avoid fatigue while maintaining competitive intensity. How they manage this period will go some way to determining whether they can push towards European qualification or find themselves caught in a mid-table scrap come spring.