Betis have struggled for consistency all season long. They are 12th on the table currently, a far cry from the 6th position they finished a couple of seasons ago that saw them return to European football after a prolonged period of absence. Victory over Barcelona will see them revive their fight for a Europa League slot that will be a much-needed reward for the fans of the football mad city of Seville.
They lost 5-2 to Barcelona at the Camp Nou earlier in the season and they will be looking to avoid another defeat when they take on them again, this time at their home stadium where they have been relatively solid. They have won 6, drawn 2 and lost just 3 of their 11 home matches thus far in this season’s campaign.
Victory over Barcelona will see them claim Barcelona’s scalp for the first time since a 4-3 upset win at the Camp Nou in November 2018 – a feat that will no doubt be celebrated by the loyal fan base drawn from the working class in Seville. Real Betis’ local hero and club captain 38-year-old captain Joaquin recently signed a new deal with the La Liga club until 2021. He will be leading his team and looking to add to his 7 goal tally thus far this season
Barcelona is currently sitting in second place on the log just 3 points shy of league leaders and bitter rivals Real Madrid who take on Osasuna in an earlier kickoff on the same day. Barcelona have been rocked with off the pitch issues this week with reports of a fallout between talisman and club legend Lionel Messi and former team mate Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal over comments the latter made to the media regarding what he felt was a lack of effort from some players in the club. Club director Josep Maria Bartomeu summoned Abidal for a meeting to discuss his future with the club following this public row with Messi.
On the pitch, Barcelona have had a fair share of injury concerns over the last few months. Leading striker Luiz Suarez is out long term following a surgery on his right knee in January that is set to keep him out of action for up to 4 months. Ousmane Dembele who hasn’t played since November 27 was ruled out for the rest of the season this week following aggravation of the right hamstring injury he suffered in the first half of the 3-1 Champions league win over Borussia Dortmund back in November. Gerard Pique is out on suspension after picking up his 10th La Liga booking last weekend against Levante.
Coach Quique Setien who took over the reins at Barcelona in January, is set to make the necessary changes and will look up to the revamped squad to build on a recent good run of form that has seen them picking up 3 wins in the last 5 games. Clement is likely to partner Samuel Umtiti at the centre back positions. Teenage phenom Anssumane Fati who had a brilliant brace in the 2-1 win over Levante in the last match will once again partner with Lionel Messi upfront alongside Antoine Griezmann. Messi provided the two assists for both of those goals for Blaugrana.
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Barcelona have dominated the recent matchups between the two sides. Having said that, Barcelona come into this game with a few concerns both on and off the pitch and Betis will no doubt be rubbing their hands ready to cause them a few more troubles when they take on the pitch Sunday.
Both teams will be looking for a good showing. On current form and depth of the teams available, we should have an entertaining game on Sunday that should see BOTH teams scoring. There has been an avalanche of goals in their last five encounters and we expect that to continue. Overall, Barcelona have enough within their ranks to secure the win.
Our betting tips and predictions for the game are therefore: Barcelona Win @ 1.8, Goals Over 2.5 @ 1.56 and BTTS @1.57. You can find these odds at 22bet. If you are a new customer the bookmaker offers you the 22bet Bonus. Good luck!
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