Real Betis continue their push for a European finish with a Monday night La Liga clash against Alaves at the Estadio Benito Villamarin. Betis are returning to form at the right time and should be too strong for a struggling Alaves team.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men are finally back on track after claiming a 1-0 victory against Cadiz in their previous La Liga outing. Juanmi scored the only goal six minutes from time as they held on for a pivotal win.
It was the third consecutive win for Real Betis, who appear to be returning to their best after faltering in recent weeks. They have leapfrogged Villarreal and now occupy the final Europa League spot, two points above the chasing pack.
Real Betis’ good form this season has been driven by a solid record at the Estadio Benito Villamarin. They have won three of their last four home matches, with all three victories coming against teams in the bottom half of the table.
Alaves head into Monday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 home defeat against Osasuna last time out in La Liga. It was a poor performance from the home team as they could only muster one attempt on target throughout the contest.
It was the third consecutive defeat for Alaves, whose season appears to be coming off the rails. They have been slowly edging closer to the relegation zone for some time and now find themselves in the bottom three following the loss against Osasuna.
Abelardo’s men have been poor on their travels this season and have suffered four defeats in their last five away matches. They have also struggled at the back in recent weeks having conceded 10 goals in their last three matches, scoring just once.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Real Betis as the favourites and William Hill are backing the hosts to secure the win at 4/5. A win for Alaves is valued 4/1 by betway, while SBK is offering 29/10 for a draw.
Real Betis look to be back to their best and with Alaves struggling at the moment, I am tempted to lean towards a home win.
Head to head
Real Betis have a slight edge in this fixture with nine wins from 21 matches. Alaves have claimed seven victories with both teams battling to five draws.
Betis ran out 1-0 winners in the reverse fixture back in September with Cristian Tello getting the only goal.
Players to watch
Real Betis have multiple attacking threats and often spread their goals across the team. Borja Iglesias has scored four times and is priced at 23/10 in the first goalscorer market while bet365 is backing top scorer Sergio Canales at 11/4 in the same market with the midfielder looking to add to his seven goals this season.
Alaves have struggled in attack this term but striker Joselu has managed five goal. He is priced at 3/1 by Unibet to score anytime while strike partner Lucas Perez is valued at 27/10 by the same firm in the anytime goalscorer market.
Anything else catch the eye?
Real Betis have kept clean sheets in their last two matches and could be worth a punt for a repeat on Monday at 11/8 with Sporting Index. A home win to nil is also worth considering with Sporting Index offering 15/8 in that market.
Alaves have gone behind in their last four La Liga matches, which means backing Real Betis to score first could provide some reward. Skybet is offering 8/13 on the hosts to score the opener while a halftime win is valued at 8/5 by William Hill.
This La Liga match between Real Betis and Alaves will be played on Mar 8, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Betis vs Alaves prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.