Valencia - Real Betis predictions and free betting tips [20/04/2024]

On the Saturday, 20th of April, as part of the 32nd round of the Spanish La Liga, Valencia will host Real Betis on their home turf. Valencia, also known as Los Che, are currently seated seventh in the league standings, trailing 3 points behind from the top six for UEFA competitions. Meanwhile, Betis are running eighth in the overall standings and must secure an all-out victory at Mestalla.

Valencia

After defeating Osasuna with a 0:1 win on Monday evening, Valencia have found themselves back in the fight for the qualification spots for UEFA competitions currently sitting in 7th place in the standings. Andre Almeida scored the only goal of the match at the 18th minute while the Pamplonians missed a penalty in the very end - thanks to Mamardashvili. Valencia are trailing just 3 points behind the sixth-placed Real Sociedad, hence, the Yellow-Oranges mustn't slip up in the next leg. Valencia have faced only one defeat in their last seven fixtures and have seized two consecutive wins - against Granada (0:1) and Osasuna. Ruben Baraja's squad have been significantly strong at Mestalla this season, securing 29 points in 15 matches (which is the 7th best record in the division with 18 goal scored and merely 8 conceded).

It's worth mentioning that the last season had been incredibly disappointing for Valencia; the team finished only 16th in the overall standings, which was their worst result since 1986. Mouctar Diakhaby, who got severely injured after a collision with Aurelien Tchouameni, is out for the rest of the season. Captain Jose Gaya and Ukraine striker Yaremchuk (3 goals in La Liga this season) are also unavailable due to injuries. However, the key midfield duo - Guerra and Pepelu (4 goals each in the championship), as well as top striker Hugo Duro (scoring 12 championship goals) - are all likely to start. It won't be surprising if head coach Baraja names a starting eleven similar to the last round, leaving Hugo Guillamon on the bench once again.

Real Betis

Seville's Real Betis has evidently been stumbling in the current campaign, placing a rather disappointing 8th in the league standings at the start of the round 32. What's more concerning is that Real Betis lost a heartwrenching 4 matches in a row - against Madrid's Atletico (2:1), Villarreal (2:3), Rayo Vallecano (2:0) and Girona (3:2). Thankfully, Verdiblancos ended this losing streak last weekend by edging a 2:1 victory over 17th placed Celta, much to the delight of their fans. Now that Real Betis are trailing 2 points behind Valencia, they simply cannot afford a misstep at Mestalla. Having last season finished sixth in La Liga, too many draws (12 in total) have affected their chances of at least repeating last season's result.

Notably, Real Betis sit only 12th in the overall standings with 15 points garnered in 15 away appearances (15 goals scored, 23 conceded). Marc Bartra and Marc Roca, the Spanish pair, will be missing from the Betis' lineup due to injury, whilst former Osasuna's striker Chimy Avila, who arrived at the club last winter, will be back from suspension. Sokratis Papastathopoulos won't line-up until an on-the-day medical assessment since the centre-back has fallen ill. Nabil Fekir was impressive coming off the bench last weekend, making him likely to get a spot in the starting eleven. As for the attacking line, Isco (6 goals, 4 assists) and Willian Jose (10 goals, 3 assists) are expected to be on the field.

Head-to-Head

In the first half of the season, Real Betis thrashed Valencia with a 3:0 win. However, prior to this, Los Che hadn't lost to the Andalusians in two consecutive matches.

Prediction for Valencia - Real Betis

For both teams, this match is essentially a 'six pointer': Valencia could surpass their rivals by 5 points with a victory whereas a defeat would effectively end the European aspirations for Verdiblancos. The Andalusians had to endure 4 back-to-back losses in April before they barely got the better of struggling Celta, while the hosts are undefeated in their last 6 domestic matches. My prediction - a victory for the Yellow-Oranges with a 0 handicap.