Real Betis vs Barcelona
, KO: 19:00 Jan 12, 2023, King Fahd International Stadium
After going three points clear at the top of La Liga, Barcelona turn their attention to the Spanish Super Cup as they face Real Betis in the semi-final on Thursday. The Catalans should have their suspended players available for this one and are expected to continue their recent dominance over Betis, who often blow hot and cold.
Real Betis are enjoying a fine period of success as they are defending champions of the Copa Del Rey having beaten Valencia in the final last April.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men head into Thursday’s clash attempting to build some momentum having won their last two matches. First, they claimed a 4-1 victory at Ibiza Islas Pitusas in the Copa Del Rey before earning a 2-1 win at Real Vallecano in La Liga last Saturday.
A slight problem for Real Betis is that the result at Valladolid ended a run of three straight matches without a win. They were held to draws by Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla in that run and also suffered a 3-0 defeat at Valencia.
Barcelona came through a difficult task last time out as they claimed a 1-0 victory at Atletico Madrid in La Liga. As expected, they were made to work hard by Atletico with Ousmane Dembele’s effort proving to be the difference.
That result means Barcelona are three points clear at the top of La Liga and head into Thursday’s clash unbeaten in their last seven matches, claiming six wins in that run. However, Xavi’s men appear to have lost some of their defensive solidity, conceding in three of their last four matches.
While Barcelona are in good form, they will be further boosted by the availability of top scorer Robert Lewandowski and left back Jordi Alba. Both players’ current suspensions do not apply to the Spanish Super Cup.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona have been installed as overwhelming favourites with a win priced at 1/2 by BetVictor. A victory for Real Betis is valued at 5/1 by Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 15/4 by Unibet.
Head to head
Barcelona have a 33-10 advantage with nine draws from 52 previous matches against Real Betis. The Catalans have also won six of the last seven fixtures with Betis and claimed a 2-1 victory in the most recent meeting last May.
Players to watch
Borja Iglesias has been among the standout players for Real Betis this season, scoring eight La Liga goals so far. The striker is expected to once again lead the line on Thursday and is priced at 5/2 with bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Robert Lewandowski’s availability will be a major boost for Barcelona as he is their top scorer with 18 goals across all competitions. The Polish striker is likely to start after sitting out the win at Atletico Madrid and is priced at 4/6 by bet365 to find the net on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
The last meeting between Real Betis and Barcelona produced over 2.5 goals which is priced at 11/17 with 10bet while over 3.5 goals is valued at 6/4 by William Hill. There have been second half goals for both teams and Thursday's clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 9/4 with bet365.
Given the minimal odds for a straight Barcelona victory, a win and over 2.5 goals could be considered at 6/5 with bet365. Lewandowski has opened the scoring six times in La Liga this season and could be tipped to grab the first goal at 11/4 with bet365.
This match between Real Betis and Barcelona will be played on Jan 12, 2023 and kick off at 19:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Betis vs Barcelona prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
