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Real Betis Balompie – FC Barcelona
A successful week is in store for FC Barcelona. Not only are the Catalans now sole leaders of La Liga after last weekend’s 1-0 away win and Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat at Villarreal, but they also have a chance to win the title once again in the coming days. Together with Real Betis Sevilla, Real Madrid and FC Valencia, the Blaugrana will compete for the Spanish Supercopa in Saudi Arabia. Two semi-finals will be played and one final. Barcelona will face their rivals from Andalusia in the 2nd semifinal.
Real Betis Sevilla will take part in the Middle East as coach Manuel Pellegrini’s side won the Spanish Cup, the Copa del Rey, last season. Due to their higher status as cup winners, the Andalusians are the first-named team in the clash with Barcelona, who are allowed to join in as Spanish runners-up. Whoever wins the semi-final will play in the final on Sunday. Which outcome we expect, we tell you in our Betis – Barcelona tip.
Betis – Barcelona Info:
– Date & Time: 12/01/2023, at 20:00.
– Venue: King Fahd, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
– Competition: Supercopa, Semifinals
– TV coverage: Sportdigital, BildPlus
Betis Form & Balance Check
Real Betis Sevilla will travel to Saudi Arabia with two must-win games in a row. After a 1-1 draw in the Sevilla derby against their arch-rivals, a 3-0 defeat at Valencia FC and a tired and goalless draw at Athletic Bilbao, Balompié have managed to win both of their competitive games so far in the New Year. The team of coaching legend Pellegrini won 4-1 away in the Spanish Cup in Ibiza and in La Liga at the weekend 2-1 away in Madrid at Rayo Vallecano. The starting position for a surprise is therefore given with two wins in a row.
Effectiveness pays off
With the recent 2-1 win, Betis climbed to 4th place in La Liga. Balompié is the only team in the top four to score less than 20 goals. For example, promoted Girona have already scored 24 times, but are only 10th in the table. The Andalusians are incredibly effective, as Betis have managed to pick up 28 points with only 19 goals. This is also thanks to a strong defence, which has only conceded 13 goals. Thus, the defensive chain in front of goalkeeper Silva is stronger than that of Real Madrid, which has already conceded 16 goals.
Betis facts & analysis
– Betis are in 4th place in the table with 28 points.
– Most recently, Sevilla won two league games in a row.
– The Andalusians take part in the SuperCopa as cup winners.
Barcelona form & balance check
FC Barcelona moved clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table at the weekend as the Royals lost at Villarreal and Barça won 1-0 at Atlético. The Blaugrana now lead La Liga by three points and proved that the 2-1 defeat in El Clásico is long forgotten. The Catalans are unbeaten since the defeat in Madrid. Barça won six of the following seven games. Only the derby at home against local rivals Espanyol Barcelona was not won by Xavi’s team with a 1-1 draw. In total, Barcelona have won 13 of their 16 La Liga games so far. However, the Blaugrana have not yet played against Betis this season.
Best defence in Spain
Why the Catalans could win the league title is largely down to their outstanding defence. Barcelona have conceded only six goals in 16 games. Since the 2-1 defeat in El Clásico, Barça have won five of their six three-goals to nil. With twice as many goals conceded, Villarreal have the second-best defence in Spain’s top flight. This fact alone shows how much the transfers of Christensen and Kounde paid off on a national level. But the whole truth is also that the Blaugrana last had to go into extra time in the Copa del Rey at third division side CF Intercity, as the regular season actually ended in a 3-3 draw. The Catalans won in extra time with the decisive goal from homegrown Ansu Fati to make the score 4-3.
Barcelona facts & analysis
– Barcelona are 1st in the table with 41 points.
– The Catalans have only lost one game in La Liga.
– Barca last won 1-0 at Atlético.
Predicted line-up – last update on 10 January 2023
Betis will have to do without left-back Moreno in the Supercopa as the Spaniard is on the verge of a move to Aston Villa. His replacement has already been found in Miranda, who has long been part of the squad anyway. Sabaly, another defender, is also absent due to injury. Manuel Pellegrini has opted for an attacking 4-2-3-1 system with Iglesias as the sole striker.
Xavi will be able to field his full squad in Saudi Arabia. The suspensions of Ferran Torres, Jordi Alba and Robert Lewandowski only apply to La Liga and not to the Supercopa. Whether Barça play with Pedri or Gavi or with Fati or Raphinha will not be decisive, as the Catalans are in impressive form. The 4-3-3 system is sacred anyway.
Betis – Barcelona direct comparison & stats
Barcelona dominate with 69 wins in a total of 112 meetings of this duel. The Catalans also won the last meeting 1-0, although the Andalusians won 2-1 in the penultimate match and that was even in Barcelona.
– Barcelona won six of the last seven duels.
– Betis won only two of their last 22 duels.
– Betis have scored at least three goals in their last five encounters.
