Three questions and three answers from Real Madrid 0-0 Real Betis

Real Madrid brought a close to their successful 2023/24 La Liga campaign and bid farewell to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu until August with a 0-0 draw against Real Betis, which will be better remembered for the tributes to Toni Kroos than for two Betis goals being ruled out by VAR in an uneventful affair.

Three answers

1. How would the Bernabéu say goodbye to Toni Kroos?

Real Madrid had wanted to arrange a major farewell tribute to Toni Kroos ahead of this game, but the German refused the offer and insisted he wanted to focus on the game. Even so, a tifo was arranged with the message “thank you, legend” and Kroos was given a guard of honour, against his own wishes as he pushed his colleagues away. The Bernabéu gave him the send off he deserved with a raucous reception, applauding his every touch of the ball and giving him an emotional standing ovation when he made his way off the field for the last time. Others may depart this summer, including iconic players like Nacho whose future remains unclear, but only Kroos has confirmed his decision to leave and the Madridistas present on Saturday night paid tribute to him.

2. Would there be any clues ahead of the Champions League final?

This was a last chance for anyone trying to change Carlo Ancelotti’s mind ahead of the Champions League final next weekend. Aurélien Tchouameni was ruled out by Ancelotti in his pre-match press conference and Eduardo Camavinga has replaced him well in recent weeks. The decision to start Nacho over Éder Militão appears to confirm the coach’s preference to go with the veteran, although that could well be influenced by quite how rusty the Brazilian has looked since he returned to fitness after his anterior cruciate ligament injury. Ancelotti didn’t want to give much away, and his team were going through the motions a little for this occasion, but it seems his selection choices are already made.

3. Could Real Madrid avoid any unwanted injuries?

With only a week to go before the big game in London, the biggest concern for Ancelotti was to keep his players fit and fresh ahead of the tie with Borussia Dortmund. The starting XI all emerged unscathed, with Betis not in any rush to kick out at Real Madrid’s players, at least until Sokratis Papastathopolous saw a yellow card for a late shove on Vinícius Júnior in the only yellow card of the game for the opponents. Ancelotti can breathe easy now, knowing that his likely line-up for Wembley Stadium is in good shape with a week of training to go.

Three questions

1. Could Real Madrid go a full season unbeaten at home?

Everything points towards the fact that this starting XI will be the one to play in Wembley Stadium next Saturday night, but first they had a job to do in the Spanish capital to ensure an unbeaten end to the season to protect an unblemished home record at the Bernabéu. Los Blancos end the season with 16 wins in La Liga on home turf, with 0-0 draws against Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis and a 1-1 tie with Atlético Madrid where the neighbours equalised with the last touch of the game. It’s the first time Real Madrid have gone a full season without defeat at home since 1996/97, with four wins and two draws in the Champions League. In total, the team have averaged 2.48 goals scored per game, with 0.64 goals conceded per game, when playing at the Bernabéu in 2023/24.

2. How do you replace Toni Kroos?

Few expected Toni Kroos to leave Real Madrid this summer, and with another high-quality performance, it’s easy to see why many hoped he would continue. It also poses a challenge for Ancelotti of how to replace the German. He registered 107 successful passes from 110 attempts against Betis, which is 55 more than the next highest number of any player on the field. How will the team change without a figure to distribute play in quite such a way? Will somebody else step up? Are they capable of doing so with such efficiency? While Kroos still has one game in a Real Madrid shirt to go, Ancelotti’s mind may already be spinning at the thought of his absence next season.

3. Will anyone remember Kepa’s loan?

There had been speculation pre-match that Kepa may come into the team for a final farewell to finalise a forgettable loan. He ends his stay with nine clean sheets in 19 appearances, but only one between his substitute appearance against Betis and January 21st when Andriy Lunin firmly confirmed his place as first choice in the team. The 29 year old is now expected to be part of the Spain squad for Euro 2024, albeit not as first choice, and then return to his parent club Chelsea. Signed as a last-minute emergency, he got the job done and fulfilled his role well, acting well and behaving in an exemplary manner, even as he was surpassed by Lunin despite that being against the odds when the Spaniard arrived.