Overview
unbeaten in the last 8 matches in all competitions, Real Betis traveled to visit Barcelona with high confidence. This year's season is opening up many special signals for Manuel Pellegrini and his team.
Last weekend, Betis defeated Sevilla 2-0 in the Seville derby, thereby raising the total score to 24 after 14 rounds. With 6 wins, 6 draws and just 2 losses, they are currently fifth in La Liga.
In the Europa League, Real Betis also maintained a positive form when they were fifth in the overall rankings, while their ticket to the third round of Copa del Rey was guaranteed after a 4-1 victory over fourth-placed torrent.
After finishing in sixth place in La Liga last season, the Andalusia team is showing potential to improve performance when Pellegrini owns a team with depth and quality.
Real Betis have not beaten Barcelona since December 2021, but two of their last three encounters have ended in draws, including two encounters in La Liga last season.
Barcelona drew 2-2 with Real Betis in Seville last season, while the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw. However, the Catalan giants have maintained an unbeaten record against Los Verdiblancos away from home since January 2011, when the two teams met in the Copa del Rey.
In fact, since March 2008, Real Betis have not beaten Barcelona at home in La Liga. Hansi Flick's team entered this match as the top team, aiming for their sixth consecutive victory in the tournament.
Barcelona's form is very impressive. They just played an excellent match against Atletico Madrid, winning 3-1 to continue to lead the rankings. Barca are currently 1 point ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, while Los Blancos will play later against Celta Vigo.
Before the winter break in Spain, Barcelona have 4 more matches: facing Real Betis, Osasuna and Villarreal in La Liga, along with the home match against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.
The race for the La Liga championship in the second half of the season promises to be extremely exciting, and Barcelona will be determined to keep the top spot when entering the new year 2026.
Personnel situation
Real Betis will be boosted by the return of Antony, who was absent from the derby against Sevilla last weekend due to suspension. However, Hector Bellerin and Isco will still be out due to injury.
Sofyan Amrabat and Giovani Lo Celso still need to be tested for their fitness, while Manuel Pellegrini is expected to make many changes compared to the starting lineup in the match against Torrent in Copa del Rey.
Rodrigo Riquelme scored a hat-trick in the Copa del Rey, but is likely to return to the bench this weekend. Instead, former Barcelona player Abde Ezzalzouli is expected to start on the wing opposite Antony.
On Barcelona's side, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo are all absent due to injury, while Ronald Araujo continues to be out of action.
Frenkie de Jong missed the match against Atletico due to illness, but the Dutch midfielder will return and take over as a central midfielder.
Pedri could be promoted to the number 10 position in the absence of Fermin and Olmo, while Gerard Martin will likely continue to start in the defensive center.
Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford are options for the attack, but Robert Lewandowski is expected to be given a starting position as a centre-forward.
Expected lineup:
Real Betis: Valles, Ruibal, Natan, Bartra, Gomez, Altimira, Roca, Antony, Fornals, Ezzalzouli, Hernandez.
Barcelona: J. Garcia, Kounde, Cubarsi, Martin, Balde, De Jong, E. Garcia, Yamal, Pedri, Raphinha, Lewandowski.
The match between Real Betis and Barcelona takes place at 0:30 am on December 7 (Vietnam time).
