Barcelona will be eager to return to winning ways when they welcome Real Betis to Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday.
The business end of the 2022/23 La Liga season is underway, with just a few more weeks left for the campaign to end. Saturday will feature three matches, including one that features reigning champions Real Madrid. And Barcelona will round off the action on the day by taking on Real Betis at Spotify Camp Nou.
Barcelona would have hoped to contest for the league title in Xavi Hernandez’s first full season. But they would not have envisioned cruising to lifting the trophy after remaining on the summit of La Liga throughout the campaign. And despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to Rayo Vallecano this week, they are comfortably ahead of Real Madrid.
On the other hand, Real Betis began the 2022/23 La Liga season aiming to compete for a top-four finish. But while they can still usurp Real Sociedad, six points ahead in fourth, their recent form has left much to be desired. And the Andalusian giants have managed only one win in five league games to drop to sixth in the standings.
Barcelona won the reverse fixture 2-1, overcoming a late flurry from Real Betis to clinch a narrow victory. The Blaugrana also face the Verdiblancos in the Spanish Super Cup, winning the semi-final on penalties. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
🚨 SQUAD LIST 🚨 #BarçaBetis pic.twitter.com/ROtmGoOeQI
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 28, 2023
Xavi Hernandez has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Real Betis on Saturday, the Barcelona manager will be bereft of the services of just one first-team player.
Sergi Roberto is the only player on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, the good news is that Andreas Christensen (calf) and Ousmane Dembele (thigh) have regained fitness. The two players are in the Barcelona squad to take on Real Betis this weekend.
Christensen should return to the starting eleven straightaway, but Xavi might ease Dembele back into the thick of the action. So the Dane should join Ronald Araujo in the central defensive pairing. Jules Kounde should start as the right-back, with Alejandro Balde featuring on the left flank. And there is no looking past Marc-Andre ter Stegen between the sticks.
Pedri, who had been in the same boat as Dembele for several weeks, is fit and firing. And the young midfielder will likely join Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets in the middle of the park. That leaves Franck Kessie on the bench on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Gavi will take up the auxiliary left-wing berth that facilitates fluid movement between midfield and attack. Finally, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski will complete the numbers in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Busquets, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Gavi
Real Betis
Unlike his counterpart in the Barcelona dugout, Manuel Pellegrini has a few pressing concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to Spotify Camp Nou. The Real Betis manager will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Victor Ruiz (muscle injury), Youssouf Sabaly (ankle), Nabil Fekir (knee), and Juanmi (illness) remain on the sidelines. Otherwise, Pellegrini has a full-strength squad at his disposal for the crucial game this weekend.
Rui Silva is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Real Betis lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. Luiz Felipe and German Pezzella will form the central defensive partnership, with Aitor Ruibal and Juan Miranda being the two full-backs.
💚💚💚
Our call-up for #BarçaRealBetis! pic.twitter.com/XKWKefUPHA
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) April 28, 2023
As for the midfield unit, Guido Rodriguez and William Carvalho should pair up in the double pivot. The duo will shore up things in the middle of the park, looking to add a layer of protection for the backline.
The two central midfielders’ presence will enable the four attackers to express themselves freely in the final third. Meanwhile, Sergio Canales will be the most advanced midfielder for the visitors, looking to pull the strings high up the pitch.
Canales will look to pick the two wide attackers, Ayoze Perez and Luiz Henrique, in pockets of space. Finally, Willian Jose should spearhead the Real Betis attack against Barcelona on Saturday evening.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Silva; Ruibal, Felipe, Pezzella, Miranda; Rodriguez, Carvalho; Perez, Canales, Henrique; Willian Jose
Key Stats
- Barcelona have won seven of their last eight games against Real Betis in La Liga (L1). Their only defeat in this run came in their most recent home game against them in the competition (0-1 in December 2021).
- Barcelona will head into this game off the back of losing 1-2 to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. They have not lost two in a row since October 2021. At home, they are one of three teams to have not suffered a defeat this season across the big five European leagues, alongside Union Berlin and Bayern Munich (W12 D3).
- Real Betis have won just one of their last five La Liga matches (D1 L3), 3-1 against Espanyol on 15 April, having won four of their previous six in the competition (D2)..
- Real Betis have failed to score in three of their last five La Liga matches (W1 D1 L3), having found the back of the net in nine of their previous 11 league games (W6 D2 L3).
- Manuel Pellegrini has lost 12 of his last 13 games against Barcelona in La Liga (W1), having lost just four of his previous ten against them in the top flight (W4 D2).
Player to Watch
Robert Lewandowski
Courtesy of his 18 goals, Robert Lewandowski has equalled David Villa as the second highest scorer in his debut season with Barcelona in La Liga in the 21st century. Only Samuel Eto’o has netted more in this period (24 goals in the 2004/2005 season).
But Lewandowski has been desperate to find the back of the net in his last few outings. With goals coming few and far between, the veteran striker is in uncharted territories. So he will be eager to end his slump and help Barcelona smash Real Betis at home this weekend.
Prediction
Barcelona 2-1 Real Betis
Barcelona will be eager to bounce back from the defeat to Rayo Vallecano and inch closer to reclaiming the top honour in La Liga. But their job does not get any easier, with Real Betis being one of the trickiest teams in the division.
The Andalusian giants have not been in the best of forms in the last few weeks. But the hosts should take Real Betis lightly at their own peril. And the Verdiblancos will likely find a way past Marc-Andre ter Stegen, robbing the German goalkeeper of another clean sheet.
But Barcelona will ultimately be too strong for Real Betis, with Robert Lewandowski finding a way to end his slump. Ousmane Dembele should also make his mark on the game, appearing off the bench to seal the three points. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Xavi Hernandez’s men.
