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

Real Betis Balompié will host FC Barcelona in the LaLiga 17th-round match at Benito Villamarin Stadium. The fixture will take place on Thursday,  February 2, beginning at 01:30 IST.

What can we expect this Thursday night? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Don`t miss out 👉: Dead Space: Game Review

Real Betis News & Current Form: 

The team under the current coach, Manuel Pellegrini, has progressed both previous seasons. Last season Betis won the Copa del Rey, but this time the Sevillians finished already in the 1/8 finals, losing to CA Osasuna on penalties (2:2, 2:4 penalty). Also last season, the team made the UEFA Europa League playoffs and finished fifth in the Primera.

The results of Betis are not stable. In the previous 5 rounds of La Liga on account of Sevillians 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats. During this period, they could not oppose anything against Valencia CF (0:3), broke even with Atletico de Madrid (0:0), defeated CF Rayo Vallecano (2:1), lost to RCD Espanyol (0:1) and overcame Getafe CF (1:0), with the only penalty goal being scored on 86 minutes. 

In 18 games, Manuel Pellegrini’s side piled up 31 points, sitting sixth in the table and one of the contenders to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Sevilla are level on points with Atletico de Madrid and Villarreal CF, but are still behind them in extra comparisons.

In the Supercopa semi-final meeting against Barcelona, the team was also let down by a poor performance in the penalty shootout (2-2, 2-4 penalties). It is worth noting that before the last game against Getafe the Glorious had missed for 5 games in all competitions. In the last nine games, the Sevillians have scored at least one goal against the Catalans.

The main striking force of Betis at the moment is forward Borja Iglesias, who has nine goals in the championship. The Spaniard is among the top four scorers of the league and according to rumors in the winter transfer window  Atletico wanted to buy the player, but he still remained in Sevilla.

This season players are scoring a relatively small amount for themselves and on the performance indicator they are only 13th in La Liga. So why is Betis so high in the standings? It’s simple – thanks to a more reliable game in defense. In 18 rounds the team conceded only 14 goals, less often the ball was pulled out of goal only by players of Villarreal and Barcelona.

Barcelona News & Current Form: 

The club was looking for its game for a long and painful time. The savior was seen in the new coach Xavi, but he was in no hurry to become something like the new Pep Guardiola. Including this season, when the players were repeatedly eliminated from the Champions League after the group round. But gradually the situation was changing and the proof of that was the victory in the Super Cup. Moreover, in the decisive game they beat their main enemy, Real Madrid CF.

Barca continues to increase its advantage in La Liga. In the new calendar year, the Blue and Grenadines beat Atletico (1-0), Getafe (1-0) and Girona FC (1-0) without a single goal and are already five points ahead of Real Madrid. The players have not allowed their opponents to score once in the last three rounds. Robert Lewandowski, La Liga top scorer (13 goals), was absent in all three games due to his suspension.  In the match against Girona and Getafe,  goals from Pedri brought the team a victory. The 20-year-old midfielder is an indispensable player for Xavi’s team.

This season in La Liga, Barcelona has a quality defense. In 18 meetings, the Blues have conceded only 6 goals – the best result in the championship. Having won their first trophy under Xavi, Barcelona are on their way to the championship. But the team has a problem with the attack. Of course, the fatigue of the players has an impact. 

In parallel with La Liga, the Catalans are struggling in the Copa del Rey, plus not so long ago played a mini-tournament for the Supercopa. Yes, victories can be obtained so far. However, in four rounds of the championship in a row Xavi’s charges scored only one goal per game.

Much of the credit for only six goals conceded rests on the shoulders of Marc Ter Stegen: the German goalkeeper made several impressive saves against Real Sociedad in the Spanish Cup and a total of seven repulsed shots in 360 minutes.

Barcelona are interested in the services of ACF Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat. The Catalan club will attempt to lease the 26-year-old midfielder until the end of the 2022/23 season. The Catalan club made an offer to lease the player for 3-4 million euros with the right to buy for 40 million, but received a refusal from Fiorentina.

The 26-year-old has played 25 games for the club in all competitions this season, receiving 11 yellow cards.

Ousmane Dembele got injured, so the Frenchman will be out for some time. So Lewandowski’s return is just in time.

Coach commented on the injury:

“We don’t know because he has a muscle injury that is difficult to predict. It will depend a lot on how he feels as well.”

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

Barcelona form guide: W-W-W-W-W-W

Don`t miss out 👉: South Africa vs England 3rd ODI: Preview and Prediction

Real Betis vs Barcelona Head-To-Head Record: 

• February 9, 2020: Real Betis 2 – 3 FC Barcelona (LaLiga);
• November 7, 2020: FC Barcelona 5 – 2 Real Betis (LaLiga);
• February 7, 2021: Real Betis 2 – 3 FC Barcelona (LaLiga);
• December 4, 2021: Fc Barcelona 0 – 1 Real Betis (LaLiga);
• May 7, 2022: Real Betis 1 – 2 FC Barcelona (LaLiga);
• January 12, 2023: Real Betis 2 – 2 FC Barcelona; 2-4 after penalties (Supercopa de Espana).

Real Betis vs Barcelona Predicted XI:

Real Betis possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Silva; Sabaly, Pezzella, Felipe, Miranda; Rodriguez, Carvalho; Henrique, Fekir, Rodri; Iglesias.

Barcelona possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Alba; Gavi, De Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Torres.

Statistical preview of the match Real Betis vs Barcelona:

• Barcelona have won their last 6 matches.
• Barcelona are unbeaten in 7 of their last 9 matches against this opponent.
• Betis are unbeaten in 7 of the last 8 games at home in this tournament.
• In the last 5 games Betis scored 1.40 goals per game.
• Betis are scoring in the last 9 games against this opponent.
• In the last 5 games Barcelona conceded on average 0.20 goals per game.
• In the last 5 games Betis conceded an average of 1.20 goals per game.
• Barcelona scored in 29 of the last 30 games against this opponent.
• Barcelona have scored in their last 11 games.
• Barcelona did not concede in their last 5 games.
• In the last 5 games Barcelona scored an average of 2.20 goals per game.

What has been said before the match:

Coach Xavi about the match:

“The match against Real Betis is important. Manuel Pellegrini is a manager who changes his tactics often. He has many talented players in his team who can make a difference. Tomorrow it will be very important to keep possession and continue attacking. Betis can complicate things for us. It is a very difficult match.”

Manuel Pellegrin had his say about the upcoming clash:

“The Super Cup duel was a 2-2 draw with Ter Stegen as the best player. We will be sharing possession, the key will be to see how much damage we can do in the penalty area. Both teams want the ball, hopefully we will play a good game and we can get the points at home.”

“There’s always a feeling of revenge, but more than that there must be the mental motivation to win again and put ourselves back in the Champions League places. Hopefully we can improve on last season’s numbers. We want to take three points, but it’s always complicated and even more so against Barcelona”.

“I see them as the leaders, they are the team that has strengthened the most and that’s why they are at the top of the table. Even if they don’t score much, it doesn’t mean they’re not good. Barcelona have conceded just six goals, they won the Super Cup…. It’s impossible to have a tougher opponent”.

“Xavi spent a lifetime with Barcelona. He gives everything he has to the team, they are top of La Liga and in the semi-finals of the domestic Cup after winning the Super Cup. You can’t ask for more from Xavi”

he praised his vis-a-vis.

The 69-year-old continued by elaborating on what his team need to improve in order to qualify for the UCL:

“The system and the way it works hasn’t changed compared to last season. Individual performances are what make the difference in matches. But if a team wants to play in Europe, it has to average a goal per game. There are guidelines that you have to follow, and in that sense I think we have improved a lot in defense. Now maybe the deficit is efficiency, not play. It comes in steps”.

Real Betis vs Barcelona Prediction:

The current form of the teams speaks in favor of Barcelona. The Blues are in very good form, having won eight of their 11 games since the World Cup and drawn three others. Let’s not forget that Barcelona has the best defense in Europe (6 conceded in 18 games). And Xavi’s men can also boast scoring efficiency, even despite the recent lackluster showings in La Liga, on average they score 2 goals per game.

Moreover, the statistics indicate that the Blue-Grenadiers have been quite successful against Betis – beating them in seven of their last ten matches. The Catalans have five successive away wins over the club from Sevilla in the championship, with the Blues-Grenadines scoring more than one goal in all encounters. However, the recent encounter in the Spanish Super Cup showed that Betis can go out on a limb and stop Barcelona from clinching another win, especially since Sevilla will be playing at home. 

It will not be easy for Xavi’s side. However, the upcoming game will see the Blues become more dangerous on the attack than in their recent La Liga games, as rested Robert Lewandowski – the team’s leading goalscorer with 13 goals and 4 assists in 15 league games – will return to the squad after his suspension. So, the Catalans are bound to score. The biggest intrigue is whether the visitors will be able to score more than once with the arrival of the Pole. Raphinha, who is coming on instead of Dembele, will try to bring fresh ideas to the team and work with the striker to show a more productive game that will lead to a win.

Don`t miss out 👉: Newcastle United vs Southampton. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Barcelona to win with an individual total over 1.5 – Yes.