La Liga: Can Betis Stand Up to Buoyant Barca?

Real Betis vs Barcelona

Sixth plays first in La Liga’s midweek clash as Xavi’s Barcelona head to the Estadio Benito Villamarin in Seville to take on Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis.

It’s a match with plenty at stake as the Blaugrana have a chance to stretch their lead at the top of La Liga to eight points before second placed Real Madrid host Valencia on Thursday. Meanwhile Los Verdiblancos need a positive result to keep their top four ambitions on track as they currently sit three points outside the Champions League places; and with this game in hand.  

Both teams come into the game on the back of a 1-0 away win. Barcelona edged out Girona to move five points clear of Los Blancos while Real Betis overcame Getafe by the same margin. The odds favour an away win inn this game but with a passionate home crowd behind Betis they will present a stiff challenge, and Xavi has one or two adjustments to make to his line-up.

Talking Points

Dembele out but Lewi back for Barca

Girona were in good shape when they welcomed Barcelona on Saturday, with just one defeat in five, but a second half goal from Pedri was enough to grab all three points for the Catalans, though the game was not without its problems for the leaders. Not only did Barca find opportunities difficult to come by, they could only match their hosts’ eight shots during the 97 minutes, but they have lost a key player in Ousmane Dembele who picked up a nasty muscle tear and will likely be out for five weeks or more.

The France star has been a key figure for Barca over the past three games in the absence of the suspended Robert Lewandowski, scoring the crucial winner in a top four clash with Real Sociedad. Lewandowski’s suspension was big La Liga 2023 news as it meant the Polish hit man missed the victories over Atletico Madrid, Getafe and Girona, all won by a 1-0 score line, and his return will soften the blow of losing Dembele. It may also mean that Gavi could return to the first 11 as a natural replacement on the left wing with his speed of foot and thought, and close control of the ball.

And more responsibility will fall onto the shoulders of Brazilian star Raphinha who could move onto the right. He has four goals and seven assists in 27 appearances, 15 of which were starts, but more recently Raphinha has been used as an impact substitute.     

After second placed Real Madrid drew with Real Sociedad at the weekend the La Liga 2023 betting odds took another shift towards Catalonia, and part of the reason for that is the team’s reliability in defence, which provides the perfect platform for the more creative players. The Blaugrana have kept four clean sheets since their 3-1 Super Copa win over Real Madrid and the form of 23 year old centre back Ronald Aurojo has been a major factor. The 6ft 4in Uruguayan has always been an imposing and strong defender but his ball and passing skills have improved massively this season to make him the perfect all round centre back.    

And with the evergreen Sergio Busquets protecting the defence, in a deep-lying midfield role, this is a tough unit to break down.    

Betis rely on Borja

Los Verdiblancos’ target is to better their fifth placed finish of the 2021/22 campaign and much of the weight of responsibility falls on the shoulders of star striker Borja Iglesias. The 30 year old has been at Betis since 2019, scoring 33 goals in 113 appearances, and this season he has stepped up a gear with nine goals from 17 matches to make him the joint third scorer in the league.

Betis found it tough to break down Getafe at the weekend but Iglesias was a constant threat, denied by the post in the first half, but when a penalty opportunity presented itself, with just five minutes left to play, he calmly slotted home to keep his team in touch with the leading pack. Iglesias has some talented players around him, including the likes of Nabil Fekir, Juanmi and Sergio Canales and they will give most teams in La Liga a hard game; but do they have enough to beat Barca?

History

Well, the Blaugrana have had the better of the head to head encounters with Los Verdiblancos, winning 34 to Betis’ ten and there have been nine draws.

The two teams met recently in the Super Copa semi-final when Barca won 4-2 on penalties when the match finished 2-2 after extra time, and on the last league meeting, in Seville at the end of last season, Barcelona earned a 2-1 victory.   

In terms of recent form Betis have won three and drawn three of the last six, while Barcelona have won all six. But the hosts have been very strong on their home turf this season, with five wins, two draws and one defeat while Barca have been imperious away from home, winning seven of their eight league matches on the road. 

Betting Tip

At 4.64 to win and 3.78 to draw Los Verdiblancos are certainly in this game and a Double Chance bet (Betis or Draw) priced at 2.12 will be attractive to Betis fans. But the return of Lewandowski will present the hosts with a real threat as the lethal Pole will be desperate to come back with a bang. A repeat of last season’s 1-2 score line is at SBOTOP odds of 6.37 with 0-1 to Barcelona at 6.18.

 

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.