Real Betis hosts Barcelona at the Estadio Benito Villamarin in a game from the 21st round of La Liga. Stay with us and our free soccer predictions for today. Here we go!
Let’s start with the hosts here. Real Betis are currently in 7th place in the Spanish league with 31 points won so far. This puts the Andalusians 10 points behind Barca and the Top 4. Manuel Pellegrini’s team has won just 7 of its 20 matches so far, which is becoming a problem for the club – they have the potential to do better.
Betis had an unpleasant run of consecutive matches without a win, but it changed last week against Granada at home. Isco became the hero, scoring the only goal in the match in the 76th minute. Marc Roca provided the assist. It was Isco’s third goal in La Liga for the season. The former Real Madrid midfielder has been playing very well since he joined Betis – he became one of the key players in the squad.
Nabil Fekir could return in the line-up against Barcelona. The influential French midfielder started from the bench against Granada, but now he looks ready to start again. Fekir is one of Betis’ most impressive players, and he’s creating a solid partnership with Isco in midfield.
Some players in Betis’ squad are still recovering from injuries. Marc Bartra, Juan Miranda, Guido Rodriguez, and Hector Bellerin still have some health problems.
Barcelona will arrive in Seville after a heavy 1-4 defeat against Real Madrid for the Spanish Super Cup. Los Cules performed poorly against their biggest rival, which increased the pressure in the dressing room. Once again, there are rumors regarding Xavi’s future as manager. He will likely finish the season, but it’s not clear if he will continue.
What Xavi does now is bring the confidence back to the players. The team looked shaky in defense against Real Madrid, and these mistakes would be punished in the next game, too. Players like Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde are currently in poor form, and that’s a massive problem for Xavi.
Barcelona’s manager could make some changes in the line-up against Real Betis. Raphinha is missing the game because of injury, but Joao Felix could return among the starting eleven. Lamine Yamal is also an option for the Catalans – he played in both matches for the Super Cup, but from the bench.
There are rumors that Xavi could try Andreas Christensen in the role of a pivot. It’s not secret that Barca hasn’t found a proper defensive midfielder since the departure of Sergio Busquets. The club signed Oriol Romeu in the summer, but this move didn’t bring the desired solution. According to the coaching staff, Christensen is a player who has the qualities to play as a pivot. Let’s see if Xavi is going to try this against Real Betis.
Some players remain unavailable in Barcelona’s squad. Except for Raphinha, Xavi can’t use Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, Inigo Martinez, and Joao Cancelo. Meanwhile, Ronald Araujo will also miss the next game because of his red card against Real Madrid. The Uruguayan defender was sent off in the second half of the game. Now this is another problem for Xavi, and it is a difficult moment for the manager.
These are our free soccer predictions for today for the La Liga game between Real Betis and Barcelona at the Estadio Benito Villamarin. Can Barca offer something more after the Super Cup fiasco in Saudi Arabia? The Catalans will try, but they are facing a strenuous opposition. Let’s see if Betis can take something from this match.
