Real Betis - Barcelona predictions and free betting tips [21/01/2024]

On Sunday, 21 January, as part of the 21st round of the Spanish Primera, Betis will host Barcelona. The "Greens" are currently in seventh place in the La Liga table with 31 points, whilst the Catalans rank fourth in the total count and are eight points behind the league's leaders, Girona.

Predicted Line-up

Betis: Silva; Busto, Pezzella, Papastathopoulos, Abner; Roca, Guardado; Henrique, Isco, Diao; Willian Jose.
Barcelona: Pena; Roberto, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; F de Jong, Gundogan, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Torres.

Stadium

The clash will take place in Seville at the Benito Villamarin stadium.

Betis

After an unexpected triumph in the Copa del Rey two years ago, Betis were unable to advance past the 1/16 finals this season, bowing out with a 1:0 defeat to Alaves. This outcome is not entirely unforeseen as the Seville club has clearly been struggling in recent weeks, contending solely for a European berth, positioned in 7th place in the league table. Nonetheless, the Verdiblancos managed to take all three points last weekend in a match against the floundering Granada (1:0), halting their dismal streak of five winless rounds – the lone goal netted by Isco in the 76th minute.

Despite a series of mishaps, Manuel Pellegrini's charges remain difficult to beat; they have lost only one of their last 15 La Liga matches dating back to mid-September and, along with Mallorca, they have become drawing experts (sharing points in 10 out of 20 played rounds). Also, the hosts are still unbeaten at home this season, winning six times and drawing four times in front of their fans. 

Barcelona

"If we fail to achieve our goals this season, which is to win the Copa del Rey, La Liga or the Champions League, I would resign voluntarily." Xavi's words at a press conference following the crushing defeat to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia, was designed to galvanise the players and relieve them of the weight of responsibility for their failure. At this point, Barcelona holds a somewhat disheartening fourth place in the La Liga table, potentially ten points behind the Galacticos, assuming the capital city's side emerges victorious a couple of hours prior to the Sevilla clash.

This past Thursday, the Catalans barely overcame Unionistas, a competitor from the third strongest Spanish division, with a 1:3 outcome in the Copa del Rey, advancing to the quarter-finals thanks to goals from Ferran Torres, Kounde and Alejandro Balde. The coaching staff will have to do without main goalkeeper Ter Stegen (expected to return at the end of February), as well as Gavi (out for the season). 

Head-to-Head Meetings

The visitors have emerged victorious in their last four matches against Betis in the championship, including a 5:0 thrashing of the opponent in the first round of the ongoing season.

Betis vs. Barcelona Predictions

Historically, Barcelona has been quite successful against Betis (4 wins, 1 draw in the last 5 encounters), and the host’s overpopulated sick bay is a cause for even more concern from their fans. Barcelona must win at all costs, else, the gap with Real Madrid would become catastrophic and the championship dream will fade away. The Catalans have emerged victorious in their last seven outings at Benito Villamarin and the same trend is expected this Sunday.

Total Predictions

In the last six head-to-head encounters in Seville, both teams have managed to score. Given the visitors' defensive issues, a reasonable bet is "Both teams to score".

Corner Predictions

Both sides advocate an aggressive offensive style, thus creating scoring opportunities regularly – hence, betting on over 9.5 total corners for the match.

Yellow Card Predictions

Neither side is known for overly aggressive play on the field, so a safe bet is on under 4.5 total cautions for the game.

Score Predictions

A 1:2 win for Barcelona is considered a precise score prediction.