Following their disappointment in the Spanish Super Cup, Barcelona turn their attention to La Liga matters as they travel to Real Betis on Sunday. Betis have been out of sorts lately and given Barca's fine record in this fixture, they should have the upper hand here.
Real Betis head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 victory over Granada in their previous La Liga fixture. They were given a stern test by the visitors with Isco’s effort midway through the second half proving the difference.
That was a much needed win for Real Betis, who had been on a six match winless run across all competitions. Manuel Pellegrini’s men had suffered two straight defeats prior to the win over Granada and are currently outside the European places.
Real Betis have also not been at their best in front of their fans, with the win over Granada their first in four home matches. However, they have only lost once in that run, with the other two fixtures ending in draws.
Barcelona are also coming off a victory as they triumphed 3-1 over Unionistas de Salamanca in a midweek Copa Del Rey fixture. They fought back from a goal down with efforts from Ferran Torres, Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde giving them the win.
It was a solid way to bounce back from that humiliating 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final. Barcelona have now won four of their last five matches across all competitions but remain seven points off the pace in the La Liga standings.
Barcelona have also impressed on their recent travels, as they have won their last three away matches. However, Xavi’s men have struggled to keep things tight at the back and are without a clean sheet in their last seven away matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 5/6 by BetVictor to claim the win. Real Betis are considered outsiders with a home win valued at 10/3 by 888Sport while Paddy Power is offering odds of 14/5 for a draw.
Head to head
Barcelona have a 37-10 advantage with nine draws from 56 previous matches against Real Sociedad. The Catalans have also won the last three meetings and ran out 5-0 winners in the reverse fixture back in September with Robert Lewandowski among the goals.
Players to watch
Willian Jose is the leading scorer for Real Betis with six La Liga goals and will be the one to watch on Sunday. Having been on a dry spell lately, the striker is due a goal and could be backed to find the net at 14/5 by Unibet.
Robert Lewandowski appears to have rediscovered his scoring touch in recent weeks, with three goals in his last four matches. The Polish striker was also on target in the reverse fixture and is priced at 5/4 by William Hill to find the net on Sunday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Real Betis and Barcelona have shown little defensive solidity in recent weeks and both teams could be backed to score at 7/10 with Unibet. The Catalans have seen over 3.5 goals in their last two matches and a repeat is priced at 15/8 with 888Sport while over 2.5 goals is valued at 8/11 with Unibet.
Barcelona have scored in both halves in the last two meetings with Real Betis and could be set for a similar pattern at 13/8 with BoyleSports.
This La Liga match between Real Betis and Barcelona will be played on Jan 21, 2024 and kick off at 17:30. 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.
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