Real Betis Vs. Barcelona Prediction: Blaugrana Ready To Strengthen Domination At The Top Of La Liga Standings
JAKARTA - Barcelona will travel to Real Betis headquarters at the Estadio Benito Villamarin on Saturday night 7 December local time in La Liga continued. This duel is an opportunity for Barcelona to secure three important points and strengthen their position at the top of the standings.
Real Betis is ranked 10th in La Liga standings with 20 points from 15 matches. Manuel Pellegrini's men recorded five wins, five draws, and five defeats so far. These statistics reflect Betis' struggle in finding consistency this season.
Goal productivity is Betis' main problem. From 15 matches, they only scored 16 goals. However, their defense was solid enough to concede 18 goals. Even so, Betis had to improve their performance if they wanted to compete at the top, especially after losing twice in a row in La Liga from Valencia and Real Sociedad.
The 3-1 win over Sant Andreu in the Copa del Rey is a bit of entertainment, but the 2-1 loss to Mlada Boleslav in the UEFA Conference League shows that Betis still has a lot of homework to do in European competitions. With a record of only one defeat in seven home games in La Liga this season, Estadio Benito Villamarin could be a difficult bulwark for Barcelona.
Barcelona have impressed this season under Hansi Flick. They lead La Liga standings with 37 points from 16 matches, four points ahead of closest rival Real Madrid, who still have one game in hand.
A 5-1 win over Mallorca on Tuesday, December 3, showed the rise of the Blaugrana after a shock 2-1 defeat to Las Palmas. In that match, Raphinha scored two goals, while Ferran Torres, Frenkie de Jong, and Pau Victor each added one goal.
Barcelona have scored 48 goals in 16 games, making them the team with the sharpest attacks in La Liga this season. In addition, their away record is also incredible with 22 points from 10 matches. However, facing Betis at home is not an easy task, even though Barcelona have a record six consecutive wins against the Sevilla team in all competitions.
Real Betis got a big boost with Pablo Fornals' return from a muscle injury. This creative midfielder is expected to start behind Barcelona's loan striker, Vitor Roque. The 19-year-old Brazilian has scored five goals in 18 appearances with Betis this season.
However, Betis will lose several key players such as Johnny Cardoso, Nobel Mendy, Hector Bellerin, Marc Roca, William Carvalho, and Isco due to injury. Abde Ezzalzouli, a former Barcelona player, is expected to fill the wing to pose a threat from the side of the pitch.
On the other hand, Barcelona still haven't been able to field Ansu Fati, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, and Ronald Araujo, while main goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is also absent. However, Hansi Flick did not face a new injury after a win against Mallorca.
Robert Lewandowski, who was rested in the last match, will return to lead the Blaugrana front line. This Polish striker has scored 15 goals in La Liga this season and is expected to be the difference in this match. Meanwhile, Alejandro Balde is likely to return to fill the left back position, with minimal changes in the line-up.
SEE ALSO:
Barcelona have a very dominant record against Real Betis, with six consecutive wins in all competitions. The last time Betis won against Barcelona at home came in March 2008. Meanwhile, the Blaugrana has been unbeaten in a meeting with Betis since December 2021.
Real Betis has the potential to put up a fight, especially with the support of the host supporters. However, Barcelona came with an uphill performance and the best away record in La Liga this season.
Lewandowski's return to the front lines, supported by Raphinha and Olmo, has made Barcelona difficult to stop attack. On the other hand, Betis will hope for Fornals' creativity and sharpness of Roque to take advantage of the gaps in Barcelona's defense.
Real Betis:Silva; Sabaly, Bartra, Llorente, Perraud; Guirao, Altimira; Fornals, Lo Celso, Ezzalzouli; Roque
Barcelona: Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; Pedri, Casado; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
The final score is estimated: Real Betis 1-3 Barcelona
Simak breaking news dan berita pilihan Anda langsung di ponsel. Pilih saluran andalan akses berita voi.id WhatsApp Channel :https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vax5uVN0VycKrMBsAU1I. Pastikan Anda sudah install aplikasi WhatsApp.