La Liga: Barca Must Beat Real Betis To Stay In the Hunt

Real Betis vs Barcelona

Barcelona head to the Benito Villamarin on Sunday night hoping to stay in the La Liga title race, but they face a Real Betis side which is bang in form.

The Blaugrana trails Atletico Madrid by ten points at the top of the table, and Los Rojiblancos have a game in hand. Ronald Koeman’s side has hit a hot streak of form, winning the last five league games, but then Real Betis have won three and drawn two, a run which has lifted Manuel Pellegrini’s side up to seventh place.

Atletico Madrid don’t play their next fixture, against Celta Vigo, until Monday night so Barca will be determined to keep the pressure on with a win in Andalusia.

Talking Points

Messi loves playing Betis

Away from match reports, updates and injuries, the La Liga 2021 news is never far away from Lionel Messi’s contract situation. Last summer it seemed he was on the way to the Etihad to join his former Barca boss Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, until the Blaugrana insisted that a 700m Euros release clause must be met. And the row erupted again this week as Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that the Argentine’s current deal, signed in 2017, was worth an eye-watering £491m and the club is denying responsibility for the leak.

Messi scored in the Catalans’ 2-1 win over Athletic Club last Sunday and he’ll be keen to get back to matters on the pitch against Betis in Seville. He has already fired 25 goals against Los Verdiblancos, including nine in the last five meetings.

The 33-year-old is still arguably the hottest property in football, with 12 goals this season, and while Ansu Fati remains sidelined, fellow striker Antoine Griezmann has scored six goals and made five assists. I suspect Messi is still missing Luis Suarez after the Uruguayan left for the Wanda Metropolitano, and the La Liga 2021 betting odds don’t lie with Atletico Madrid looking unstoppable at the moment and seem on course for a first league title since 2014.

The Blaugrana is in form though and took revenge on Athletic Bilbao last weekend, having lost the Spanish Super Cup final to the Basque Country team, and they will hope to make it six league wins on the run now. Griezmann was also on target in the victory.

La Liga: Sergio Canales is currently the top scorer of Real Betis with seven goals scored — Real Betis’ Sergio Canales in action against Levante

Real Betis aiming for Europe

Manuel Pellegrini has made a big impact at Betis since his arrival at the club in summer 2020, leading them to seventh place in the league table and in the final Europa League spot. Attacking midfielder Sergio Canales is having his best season at the club, scoring seven goals and making five assists. And French star Nabil Fekir, with four assists to his name and, on his day, he can be a match-winner with his electric pace and trickery.

Los Verdiblancos have an uncompromising defence, with Aissa Mandi and Emerson sharing ten yellows between them and they have received a red card each. Algerian star Mandi is also a threat going forward and at set-pieces, weighing in with three goals.

History

Both Messi and Barcelona enjoy playing against Real Betis. The Blaugrana have won 31 of the meetings between the two sides, since 1994, with the Andalusians registering just nine victories.

The Catalans have won the last four meetings, and they have all been high scoring affairs with 17 goals for Messi and Co and seven for Betis, a very healthy average of six goals a game. In the last meeting, Messi scored twice at the Camp Nou in November as the hosts ran out 5-2 winners. Ousmane Dembele, Griezmann and teenage star Pedri were also on target for Barca, while Mandi picked up his red card for a handball.

Both teams are in fine form, winning five from six in all competitions, Betis drawing the other, while Barca lost their Super Cup final.

Betting Tip

	Real Betis vs Barcelona	First Half Over 1.50 @ 2.29
	February 8, 04:00 (GMT+8)

Here at SBOTOP Betis are at 4.84 to win with the draw at 4.07 while Barca are at 1.56 to take a vital three points.

These games tend to be high scoring affairs, and I can see value in a couple of goals before the break. Messi is in superb shape on the field and his angst off it is more likely to spur him on, especially against a team he loves to play against.

But Pellegrini has formed a tidy unit at Real Betis with a serious goal threat and they will make it hard for the title chasers.

For an alternative bet, a scoreline of 1-2 is the most likely outcome at odds of 6.76.