Looking forward to the clash against Real Betis

Real Betis get a chance to show they can compete with the giants of Spanish football when they host Real Madrid at the Ruiz de Lopera stadium on Saturday (kickoff 1930 GMT).

The Seville-based club stunned the big guns of Spanish football in 1997 when they smashed the then world transfer record to pay $35 million for young Brazilian forward Denilson from Sao Paulo.

But their multi-million dollar gamble backfired as Denilson -- who arrived at the club in 1998 -- struggled to find form.

Coaches came and went, the team dropped off the pace in the first division and were finally relegated two seasons ago after a 2-0 defeat against Saturday's rivals Real Madrid.

The club then decided to pack Denilson off on loan to Flamengo rather than expose him to the rigours of second division football.

But Denilson, now 24 and back at Betis, has found a new lease of life following his recall to the Brazilian squad for the recent Copa America.

His recent performances suggest that he has finally recovered the form that led to such rave reviews before his move to Betis.

The Andalucians now look to have a golden opportunity beating a Real Madrid side who have yet to see Denilson's successor as the world's most expensive player -- Zinedine Zidane - settle into the side.

Real have not yet won in the league and, although they impressed with their midweek 2-1 win against Roma in the Champions League, Zidane missed the match due to suspension and the jury is still out as to whether the club was right to spend all its transfer funds on just one player.