Liverpool vs Real Betis. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more

Liverpool FC will face Real Betis Balompie in the Club Friendly match at the Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, USA. The fixture will take place on Saturday, July 27, beginning at 05:00 IST.

Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Liverpool News & Current Form: 

Liverpool is off to the United States for a tour that includes several friendly matches. They will start their pre-season with a match against Real Betis at Acrisure Stadium in Pennsylvania. They will then face Arsenal FC and Manchester United FC in quick succession during their U.S. tour. Reds’ season preparation will conclude a week before the Premier League opener with a fixture against Sevilla FC at Anfield. 

The English club has announced their 28-man squad for the pre-season tour, with 11 senior players absent, giving several young talents a chance to showcase their skills. Key players who participated in the Copa America and UEFA EURO 2024, such as captain Virgil van Dijk, Darwin Nunez, Ryan Gravenberch, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, Ibrahima Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Alisson Becker, Luis Diaz, and Alexis Mac Allister, have nor travelled with the team.

This situation provides opportunities for younger players and returning loanees to step up. Andy Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai are expected to play while rising stars like Marcelo Pitaluga and Kaide Gordon have a chance to impress. Additionally, Nat Phillips remains with the team despite ongoing transfer rumours.

This will be the team’s second match under their new manager. To recap, Jürgen Klopp, who had been with the team for 8.5 years, announced his departure in the winter of 2024, citing fatigue and emotional burnout as his reasons. Under the German specialist’s leadership, the club won the EPL, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Medfield player for Liverpool FC – Dominik Szoboszlai

After a couple of months of searching and negotiations, in late May 2024, club management officially announced the appointment of Dutch specialist Arne Slot as head coach. He had previously managed Feyenoord Rotterdam, leading them to win the Eredivisie in the 2022/23 season, which was only the club’s second championship title in the 21st century.

Klopp warmly welcomed Slot during the farewell ceremony after Liverpool’s final EPL match of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, which ended in a 2:0 victory. The German coach sang Arne’s name to the tune of a chant dedicated to himself, a song that the fans at Anfield quickly adopted. “The club is in a better place than ever,” Jurgen told the fans.

“We have a fantastic stadium, an amazing training centre, and we have you – the superpower of world football. Change is good.”

Insiders claim that Liverpool paid Feyenoord around €13-15 million for Slot, making him the most expensive Dutch coach in history. As for his salary, sources close to the English club suggest that the specialist will earn around €10.5 million, similar to the salary of Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, his compatriot. Openness and friendliness are traits that Slot and Klopp share. Whether these qualities will be enough to bridge the gap in class remains to be seen in the new season.

The upcoming match will be the second for the Dutch, following Liverpool’s behind-closed-doors defeat to Preston North End FC (1:0) in a friendly. Real Betis will not be an easy opponent, but this is precisely the challenge Arne Slot needs ahead of a significant season.

Liverpool’s transfer market activities are heating up, with several high-profile players being linked with moves both in and out of Anfield. FC Barcelona have expressed a strong interest in 27-year-old Colombian winger Luis Diaz, ranking him above other targets like Nico Williams and Dani Olmo. Meanwhile, 31-year-old goalkeeper Alisson Becker has attracted attention from Saudi Arabian clubs, who are preparing a lucrative contract offer for the Brazilian, currently valued at €28 million.

Virgil van Dijk, the Reds’ 32-year-old centre-back, is on the radar of Al-Nassr FC, which is ready to make him the highest-paid defender in the world. His contract with Liverpool runs until the summer of 2025. Additionally, versatile defender Joe Gomez has caught the eye of FC Bayern Munich, with the German giants valuing him at €28 million.

On the incoming front, Liverpool is considering a move for 19-year-old Turkish midfielder Arda Güler, now playing for Real Madrid CF. The Reds are also in the race to sign French midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who is a free agent after leaving Juventus FC, with AC Milan also interested in his services. Moreover, Liverpool is in talks with Newcastle United FC over the transfer of English forward Anthony Gordon. While initial discussions were unsuccessful, negotiations are set to continue.

This summer’s transfer window promises to be a dynamic period for Liverpool, with significant changes on the horizon as they look to balance high-profile departures with strategic acquisitions to strengthen their squad.

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Real Betis News & Current Form: 

Manuel Pellegrini, the former Manchester City manager, is preparing for his fifth season in charge of Real Betis. Last season in La Liga, the Green and Whites finished in seventh place, becoming specialists in draws with 15 matches ending level, only RCD Mallorca (16) had more.

Additionally, Real were eliminated from the Copa del Rey in the final stages and finished third in their UEFA Europa League group, which led to their participation in the UEFA Europa Conference League, where they were defeated by GNK Dinamo Zagreb with an aggregate score of 2:1.

Despite these setbacks, the team’s pre-season preparations began on a positive note with a successful friendly against SV Austria Salzburg, which ended in a convincing 5:1 victory for Betis. In the early stages of the match, Marcos Fernandez scored twice, giving his team an early advantage. His finishing skills and composure in front of goal were on full display. Just before half-time, Johannes Zottl scored for Salzburg, narrowing the gap and offering hope for a possible comeback.

Manuel Pellegrini, the gaffer of Spanish side Real Betis, brings a wealth of experience from his time managing English clubs

The second half was equally eventful: Pablo Garcia extended Betis’ lead to 3:1. A few minutes later, Garcia struck again, playing a crucial role in the match. Just moments before the final whistle, Romain Perraud scored the final goal, cementing the 5:1 scoreline in favour of Los Verdiblancos.

The Spanish side showcased high-quality football, dominating throughout and demonstrating excellent finishing. On the other hand, Austria Salzburg fought hard but could not withstand the power and pressure of their opponents.

In America, the team’s schedule includes a match against Manchester United in San Diego on August 1, followed by a game against Saudi side Al-Ittihad on August 4. In the second week of the month, the Spanish club will face Raja CA and Bundesliga winners Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

La Liga club has officially announced the signing of the goalkeeper of the Reds – Adrián. The contract with the 37-year-old Spanish goalkeeper is for two years, until the summer of 2026. He returned to his former club, which he represented until 2013. After leaving Betis, Adrián played for West Ham United FC from 2013 to 2019. The experienced goalkeeper spent the last five seasons at Liverpool but did not make an appearance in any official matches during the 2023/2024 season.

Liverpool form guide: W-L-D-W-D-W

Real Betis form guide: W-W-D-L-D-W

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Liverpool vs Real Betis Head-To-Head Record:

• September 13, 2005: Real Betis 1 – 2 Liverpool (UEFA Champions League);
• November 23, 2005: Liverpool 0 – 0 Real Betis (UEFA Champions League).

Liverpool vs Real Betis Predicted XI:

Liverpool’s possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Kelleher; Bradley, Phillips, Van den Berg, Robertson; Jones, Endo, Szoboszlai; Doak, Salah, Carvalho.

Real Betis’ possible starting lineup (4-4-1-1): Silva; Sabaly, Llorente, Arnal, Perraud; Carvalho, Altimira; Fornals, Fekir, Juanmi; Fernandez.

Statistical preview of the match Liverpool vs Real Betis:

• The total value of the Reds’ squad is 941 mln euros, while the total of the Spanish side comes up to 153 mln euros.
• Liverpool’s First XI average age is 27.6 years, and Betis’ First XI average age is 27.4 years.

• Liverpool finished last season being unbeaten in four games.
• The Reds have lost six of their previous 12 matches against Spanish opposition.
• Real Betis kept back-to-back clean sheets as they rounded off a successful 2023/24 season.
• Betis are unbeaten in 5 away matches.

What has been said before the match:

Dominik Szoboszlai, number 8 of Liverpool, about big goals for the next season:

“It can always be better. Last year we finished third and won the Carabao Cup. This year, the Champions League is back again – where we belong – and we want to show ourselves there as well. We are going for the Premier League again. I’m feeling very good, getting ready for the new season. Big games ahead of us, a big season, new challenges, so I think everybody is getting ready.”

“It’s a little bit different with the new coach – the style of playing, how we play, how we are with the ball and also against the ball. Everybody’s in from the training staff and we are getting to know them. I think everybody is happy with it and we are looking forward to it. It’s quite intense but we have a lot of things to do and we need to be intense in the season as well.”

Recently appointed mentor of the Reds, Arne Slot, ahead of the American tour:

“We are trying to implement the ideas and keep doing what we have done so well. Keeping the boys fit, that’s the first aim. Those things are the first aim and then with all the players coming back I think the quality will definitely go up a lot as well.”

“It’s only two weeks in so if it was that easy to bring and to implement all your ideas in two weeks, that would have been an ideal situation but it doesn’t work like this. Like I said, the ones who came in from the start, they are still fit now, they have had two weeks of training sessions and stayed fit during the game so are getting fitter and fitter.”

“But yeah, there are definitely more than a few areas where we have to improve but that will come with more sessions and it will definitely come when all the boys are in.”

Liverpool vs Real Betis Prediction:

Liverpool are approaching this meeting in a sub-optimal line-up as head coach Arne Slot has 11 players of the core squad who have not yet returned from rest after playing at the European Championship and Copa America. Nevertheless, the Spaniards should not underestimate the Reds’ talented youngsters, suffice to mention last season’s revelation, 21-year-old defender Conor Bradley, whose market value increased 10 times during the 23/24 campaign. The reserves and bench players will want to raise their credibility in the eyes of the new coaching staff and will not be playing cautiously, especially considering that the result of the meeting does not have any importance.

Betis are showing good performance against top-tier clubs, having scored in 7 out of 12 matches against top-6 teams last season in La Liga. The clash against an attacking team from the strongest league in the world with a distinctive style is a great opportunity for a stress test. The Greens are determined to take advantage of the Merseysiders’ diminished potential, having a good chance to score at least once. It is also worth mentioning that Liverpool concedes quite a lot by the standards of a top club – 1.08 per game. We expect a lively game with at least three goals scored. 

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Both teams will score and the match total will be over 2.5 – Yes.

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