FC Barcelona will look to maintain their five-point lead at the top of the table when they square up against Real Betis on Wednesday.
La Liga leaders FC Barcelona will travel to Seville to face Real Betis, who are currently sixth in the table. The Catalan giants will be keen to keep up their good work and ensure they do not allow rivals Real Madrid an opportunity to revive the title race.
The Andalusian outfit have endured a mixed run of form in the last few fixtures. They have won two and lost two out of their last five games. Manuel Pellegrini’s team have won only three out of the last nine league matches. But a win over Barcelona will surely change their fortunes as it will strengthen their case for a top-four finish.
They are heading into this encounter on the back of a win over Getafe thanks to an 86th-minute penalty by Borja Iglesias. Beating the league leaders will boost their morale. Betis have a game in hand, and a win will bring them level on points with fourth-placed Atletico Madrid. But a defeat will complicate things as they will be left with a two-point cushion over Rayo Vallecano.
As far as Barcelona are concerned, they will look to carry on their winning run. They are on a three-match winning streak in La Liga and are unbeaten in the last nine fixtures. Their last defeat in the league came at the hands of bitter rivals Real Madrid on October 16.
Barcelona will push for all three points against Real Betis to extend their lead and put added pressure on Real Madrid, who will face Valencia a day later. The Blaugrana cannot afford to slip at this stage of the season, and Xavi will throw everything he has at Betis to ensure they end up on the right side of the result.
It is all set to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller encounter between two teams who have high ambitions of their own for this season. The Hard Tackle has a look at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might use.
Team News & Tactics
Real Betis
💚💚💚
Our call-up for #RealBetisBarça! pic.twitter.com/jRVonvifvP
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) January 31, 2023
Real Betis will be without the service of Juan Cruz when they face FC Barcelona. He has been out with a hamstring injury since early October. Apart from that, all other players are available for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
Nabil Fekir and Juanmi might push for a place in the starting eleven after the duo returned to the bench last time out. The two players have successfully recovered from their respective muscle problems.
Fekir will return to the eleven, while William Carvalho and Guido Rodriguez will continue at the centre of the park in front of the back line. It will be interesting to see whether January signing Abner gets his first home start at left-back.
Manuel Pellegrini is likely to stick to his 4-2-3-1 formation, with Rui Silva in goal behind German Pezzella and Luiz Felipe at the heart of the defense. Juan Miranda and Youssouf Sabaly are likely to be his full-backs for the big game.
There is no doubt about the fact that the pair of William Carvalho and Guido Rodriguez will start. Fekir will return as the attacking midfielder, while Luiz Henrique and Sergio Canales will petrol the wings. Finally, Borja Iglesias will resume duties at the number nine position.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Silva; Sabaly, Pezzella, Felipe, Miranda; Rodriguez, Carvalho; Canales, Fekir, Henrique; Iglesias
Barcelona
Ousmane Dembele suffered a thigh injury during Barcelona’s win over Girona. The French forward was subbed off in the 25th minute and is likely to miss almost a month of footballing action.
However, the return of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres will surely bolster their attack. The duo were serving a suspension but are now available for selection for Barcelona. And it was Lewandowski’s absence, in particular, which forced Xavi to think of different ways to replace him.
Xavi might make around five changes to the team that faced Girona last time around. Pedri, Andreas Christensen, Jordi Alba, Lewandowski, and Torres are all likely to start against Real Betis on Wednesday.
🎙 Xavi: "We are playing well, but we still have a lot of room for improvement. We have to be self-critical" pic.twitter.com/PDLGIIEG3Y
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 31, 2023
Barcelona will once again rely on the 4-3-3 formation, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal. Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Christensen, and Alba will make the back four in front of ter Stegen.
Frenkie de Jong will start as the holding midfielder, while Pedri and Gavi will be the two central midfielders. Lewandowski, Torres, and Raphinha will make the front three with the former Bayern striker leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Alba; Gavi, de Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Torres
Key Stats
- In the last 43 matches between the clubs, Barcelona have an impressive recent record having won 26, as opposed to Real Betis, who have only nine victories.
- In La Liga, Real Betis’s record against Barcelon is a worry for their fans. They have won only two of their last 22 games against Barcelona in La Liga. Their last two wins have come away at Camp Nou.
- Barcelona are on a five-match winning run away from home against Real Betis in La Liga. They are on the verge of becoming the first team to ever win six such games in a row in the competition.
- Xavi’s team have only lost one of their last 30 away games against Real Betis in La Liga. The last defeat was back in 2002.
- Before the start of their winless run at home, Real Betis were on a run of six consecutive victories at home in La Liga. Currently, they are on a winless run of three matches.
Player to Watch
Robert Lewandowski
La Liga’s top scorer is back from suspension. And all eyes will be on the Polish striker who is expected to continue his impressive run in the Spanish top flight. Lewandowski is likely to pick up from where he left, and he has to be the player to watch out for.
The Barcelona striker has scored 13 goals in La Liga this season. He has been in red-hot form, scoring 22 goals and creating five in just 24 appearances. The Poland skipper is likely to get a lot of supplies from the likes of Ferran Torres and Raphina. Expect him to be on the scoresheet, if everything goes according to plan for Xavi’s Barca.
Prediction
Real Betis 0-2 Barcelona
Barcelona have had a rock-solid defense of late, and they are pushing for the league title on the back of it. The duo of Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen are expected to keep a clean sheet once again.
Real Betis have been impressive this season but are unlikely to trouble Barcelona, who are on another level at this point. The return of Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski means they might score more than once. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 2-0 win for the Blaugrana.
