Ace Football previews the La Liga clash between Real Betis and FC Barcelona, and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
An in-form Barcelona take a trip to Seville on Sunday night to face Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin Stadium.
After Real Madrid and Sevilla won their respective matches on Saturday, the pressure is on to deliver. Barcelona must claim all three points in Andalusia to retake second place in La Liga. Although Real Betis, who sit 10 points behind the visitors in seventh, can cause them problems on Sunday.
Goals are normally never amiss in this fixture, with both teams having scored in their last five meetings. A combined 31 goals, four red cards, controversy, and upsets have occurred in the process.
Real Betis Form & Stats
Betis return on the back of an unfortunate Copa del Rey quarter-final exit on Thursday. Having taken the lead through Juanmi, Raul Garcia’s last-gasp equalizer salvaged a 1-1 draw for Athletic Club. The Basque side then won 4-1 on penalties to send the hosts crashing out of the competition.
Penalty shootout aside, however, the Green and Whites are unbeaten in their last nine 90-minute games in all competitions. They played well on Thursday, but must now regroup and restore focus on their La Liga campaign. European qualification is very much up for grabs, and a result against Barcelona would be a boost.
Despite a poor run of results earlier on, which included seven defeats in nine games (W2) between October and November, Manuel Pellegrini has turned things around. The Betis coach has overseen three wins in his last four league games (D1) and will hope to carry on this improvement on Sunday.
Key Team Stats
- Won 3 of their last 4 league games (D1).
- Unbeaten in their last 5 home league games (W3 D2).
- Scored in their last 7 league games (12 goals in total).
- Won just 1 of their last 19 league games against Barcelona (D3 L15).
- Conceded an average 3.4 goals-per-match in their last 19 league games against Barcelona.
- Manuel Pellegrini has lost his last 9 league games against Barcelona.
- Sergio Canales has scored 8 goals in his last 10 games in all competitions, including three penalties.
FC Barcelona Form & Stats
A brilliant late comeback sent Barcelona into the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Wednesday. Despite trailing 2-0 to Granada in the final moments, Antoine Griezmann and Jordi Alba’s goals salvaged a stalemate. The pair scored again, along with Frenkie de Jong, in extra-time to then seal an emphatic 5-3 win.
Ronald Koeman’s side are now chasing a sixth successive win in La Liga. A nine-match unbeaten run (W7 D2) in the league, meanwhile, has made them runaway leaders Atletico Madrid’s closest challengers in the title race. But considering the 10-point deficit, and Diego Simeone’s men also having a game to spare, a miracle is still needed to win a 27th league title.
The true test, however, lies in how Barcelona handle their growing fixture congestion. The Blaugrana have seven games left to play in February, including a Copa del Rey semi-final clash with Sevilla and the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain.
Key Team Stats
- Hope to win 6 consecutive league games for the first time since March 2019.
- Kept a clean sheet in 3 of their last 5 league games.
- Unbeaten in their last nine visits to Real Betis in the league (W6 D3).
- Lionel Messi has made 31 direct goal contributions in 21 league games against Real Betis (21 goals, 10 assists).
- Antoine Griezmann has failed to score in his seven visits to Real Betis in the league.
Team News
Real Betis
Out: Victor Camarasa, Dani Martin, Diego Lainez.
Doubts: Claudio Bravo, Marc Bartra.
FC Barcelona
Out: Ansu Fati, Gerard Pique, Philippe Coutinho, Sergi Roberto.
Doubts: N/A.
Predicted Line-ups
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Top Goalscorers in La Liga
Head-To-Head Record
Below are some head-to-head stats on each team’s recent form in La Liga.
Match Facts
Betting Tips
More Odds
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