La Liga: Facing Slumping Real Betis Could Give Barca a Jolt

Real Betis vs Barcelona

Barcelona aim to make it two wins in a row when they continue their 2024-25 La Liga campaign with a road game against Real Betis on Saturday afternoon. Hansi Flick’s men are coming off a 5-1 win against Mallorca on Tuesday, giving them a four-point lead over second-seeded Real Madrid, who are fresh from a 2-1 loss against Athletic Bilbao and have a game in hand.

Real Betis are nine notches below Barcelona with only 20 points. Manuel Pellegrini’s side are desperate to secure a league win after failing to do so in their last four. However, they’re coming off a 3-1 victory over Sant Andreu last night in the Copa del Rey second round, which should give them some confidence.

Learn more about these two teams in detail as SBOTOP previews this fascinating clash at Benito Villamarin.

 

Talking Points

Real Betis have a concerning injury list

Since their 1-0 upset win against Atletico Madrid in October, Real Betis haven’t won any of their last four La Liga games, with draws against Athletic Bilbao and Celta Vigo and losses against Valencia and Real Sociedad. Along the way, they’ve had their share of injuries, given their unrelenting schedule of playing European and domestic games.

Head coach Manuel Pellegrini is dealing with a concerning injury list, particularly on the defencive side of the pitch, as Marc Roca, William Carvalho, Nobel Mendy, Hector Bellerin, and Sergi Altimira are all in the treatment room. Midfielders Pablo Fornals and Johnny Cardoso are also on the list, but they’re back in training this week.

Real Betis could also use some consistent production in the final third, as their top scorer is their attacking midfielder Giovanni Lo Celso with five. Striker Vitor Roque only has three goals, winger Chimy Avila has two, veteran Juanmi has yet to open his account this term, and youngster Assane Diao has been frozen on the bench lately despite being the team’s top playmaker with two assists.

 

Raphinha takes the spotlight for Barcelona

An in-form Raphinha took over for Barcelona during their 5-1 win over Mallorca on a night the team decided to rest Robert Lewandowski. Hansi Flick said he also wanted to rest Raphinha, but the Brazilian said he was fine and eventually declined. The former Leeds United winger recorded a brace yesterday to take his tally to 11, making him the second Barcelona player after Lewandowski (15) to have double-figure goals in La Liga.

Ferran Torres, Frenkie de Jong, and Pau Victor also scored against Mallorca, and Lamine Yamal returned to the starting XI after missing several games due to an ankle injury.

Barcelona will have three games in 10 days before their holiday break after the Real Betis match. Hansi Flick’s side will face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League next Wednesday before taking on Leganes and Atletico Madrid in La Liga, so the team needs all hands on deck.

 

History

Real Betis have lost 10 of their last 11 La Liga matches against Barcelona (W1) and failed to score in two of their last three meetings. Manuel Pellegrini’s side almost went three consecutive games without scoring against the Blaugrana in the Spanish top-flight since 1979, but they scored twice in the 4-2 loss last January.

Barcelona have collected points on each of their last 13 La Liga visits at the Benito Villamarin (W10, D3), winning on each of the last seven, their longest streak of successive league away wins against Real Betis. The Blaugrana will aim to get more points this weekend, especially since they haven’t had a winning streak since the start of November.

 

Betting Tip

The La Liga 2024 odds expect Barcelona to cruise past Real Betis this weekend. The Blaugrana are 1.56 favourites to win, whereas Los Verdiblancos are 4.64 underdogs, and a draw is priced at 4.09 in the 1X2 market.

This fixture has seen its share of goals, so don’t be surprised if we’ll see several new La Liga 2024 highlights at Benito Villamarin. With that said, bettors can also go for alternatives like Over 2.75 at 1.63, Over 3.00 at 1.81, Over 3.25 at 2.05, and Total Goal 4-6 at 2.52, with Total Goal 2-3 at 2.18 being the conservative option.

A Correct Score of 4-2 in favour of Barcelona – the result of their last league meeting in January – has a staggering 34.00 offer. However, if you fancy Real Betis’ chances to scrape something out of this match, then check out the Correct Score of 1-1 given its decent 8.40 offer.

   

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