Cristiano Ronaldo is officially in a dreadful slump at the worst time of the year.
The striker only has one goal in the last five matches for Real Madrid and has been invisible at a number of junctures in key games. He helped set up Karim Benzema's goal against Man City, but when he was needed to provide the winning touch, Ronaldo was nowhere to be seen. Real Madrid's gap with Barcelona remains at eight points, but Ronaldo's greatest personal concern may be the fact that as Messi inches ever closer to making history and cementing his position in the conversation on the game's greatest player, Ronaldo is fading out in one his greatest years as a professional. The Ballon d'Or 012 looks to be moving further and further from Ronaldo's grasp. As for Madrid, they need to get back in form. They play Real Betis, a team not too far back in the standings that is looking to make a run at a top spot and wants revenge from a 5-1 humiliation that they endured last weekend against Sevilla.
Betis has lost its last two games and has been solid offensively. They currently sit in sixth place on the table, but a win would potentially propel them to fourth place and just four points behind Real Madrid for third.
Prediction: Betis will play a defiant match at home and could provide a major surprise. But Madrid is far superior and should win by a slim margin. 2-1 Madrid.
Start Time: 4 PM EST