Beckham and Ronaldo start on the bench for Real

Real Madrid coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro left Ronaldo and David Beckham out of the starting line up in their goalless draw at home to Real Betis in the Primera Liga on Sunday.

Brazil striker Ronaldo started on the bench in Real's previous two league games against Atletico Madrid and Valencia.

He was brought on to replace Raul in the 54th minute to a barrage of whistles from fans unhappy with the change, and was denied a goal by a great save from Pedro Contreras in the 71st minute.

England captain Beckham has not played for Real since collecting an injury against Arsenal in the Champions League on March 8, but his replacement Cicinho put in a strong display on the right of midfield and was not changed.

After the game Lopez Caro said: "I am happy with Beckham's contribution at the club. It is just we have a lot of competition for places and as you can see Cicinho played very well."

Brazilian forward Julio Baptista and Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen also lost their places in the starting line up as Lopez Caro rang the changes, though Baptista did come on for Antonio Cassano after 69 minutes.

Barcelona have an 11-point lead over second-placed Real with 10 games left to play. The Primera Liga is Real's last chance for silverware this season.