Real Betis hold the advantage as they host Rayo Vallecano in their Copa Del Rey semi-final second leg on Thursday. Betis are unbeaten in three matches against Vallecano this season and that dominance is expected to continue.
Real Betis will consider the Copa Del Rey a genuine chance for silverware this season with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico all out of the competition. They already have one foot in the final after claiming a 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the first leg.
Although they were beaten 2-1 by Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday, Real Betis remain one of the form teams in the Spanish topflight. That was only their second defeat in the last 13 matches across all competitions having claimed nine wins in that run.
Real Betis often do their best work at the Estadio Benito Villamarin and have been beaten just twice in their last nine home matches. Manuel Pellegrini’s men have claimed six wins in that run, including a 4-0 La Liga victory over Real Sociedad.
Rayo Vallecano were left disappointed in the first leg after failing to build on a fast start and an early goal from Alvaro Garcia. They will be keen for a much-improved performance on Thursday as they look to overturn the deficit.
Antonio Iraola’s men are a long way away from their fine early season form. They have lost their last five matches across all competitions and were beaten 1-0 at home by Real Madrid in La Liga last Saturday.
Rayo Vallecano are also unconvincing on their travels and have lost their last two away matches. Their previous fixture on the road was a 2-1 defeat to Elche.
How the bookies view it
Real Betis have the upper hand among the bookies at 31/40 with betway while a victory for Rayo Vallecano is valued at 18/5 by Vbet. A draw is set at odds of 3/1 by SBK.
Recent head to head
Real Betis are unbeaten against Rayo Vallecano this season, claiming two wins and a draw from three meetings. Betis won 3-2 victory in La Liga at the Estadio Benito Villamarin back in October with Willian Jose netting a late winner.
Players to watch
Willian Jose could be worth keeping an eye on for Real Betis. The striker has scored twice in his last four matches and is priced at 13/10 by bet365 to score anytime on Thursday.
Radamel Falcao came off the bench against Real Madrid last Saturday and could be given a start at Betis. The striker is looking to rediscover his scoring touch and is priced at 11/5 to find the net on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 3.5 goals in the last meeting at the Estadio Benito Villamarin and a repeat is priced at 21/10 by betfair. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 4/5 with William Hill who are also offering odds of 4/5 on both teams to score.
There have been more goals before the break in the last three meetings so the first half could be tipped as the highest scoring half at 11/5 with Paddy Power.
This Spanish Cup match between Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano will be played on Mar 3, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Betis vs Rayo Vallecano prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
