Barcelona set for narrow victory over Real Betis
FC Barcelona vs Real Betis - 29/04/2023
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Barcelona will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Rayo Vallecano when they welcome Real Betis to Camp Nou on Saturday evening.
Despite Wednesday’s loss, Xavi’s side remain at the summit of the La Liga standings – 11 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Real Betis find themselves six points shy of the Champions League places and 27 points behind champions-elect Barcelona.
Barca suffered a 2-1 defeat at Ray Vallecano in midweek, despite dominating the contest with 61% possession and 10 shots.
Although Xavi’s men already have one hand on the La Liga trophy, they have only managed to win one of their last five matches in all competitions.
When you look at the bigger picture, however, Barcelona have lost just three of their 31 league games this season, picking up 24 wins along the way.
Having conceded a measly 11 goals in the process, Barca will be confident of returning to winning ways when Betis visit Catalonia.
As for Real Betis, they played out a goalless draw with Real Sociedad in midweek, meaning they have won just one of their last five games.
Worse still, Betis have only managed to pick up two victories in their previous 10 matches across all competitions, suffering five defeats in the process.
It is also worth noting that Betis have failed to score in three of their last five league outings, with defeats to Atletico Madrid and Cadiz preceding Tuesday’s draw with La Real.
There was a time earlier this season when Betis looked destined to push for a Champions League spot, but they have taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks.
Head-to-head: Barcelona have won seven of their last eight La Liga meetings with Real Betis, including February’s 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture.
To make matters worse for Betis, Barca have scored 22 goals across those victories, averaging more than three goals per game.
Team news: Barcelona will be without injured trio Andreas Christense (calf), Angel Alarcon (muscle) and Sergi Roberto (muscle) this weekend.
On the flip side, Betis will be without Nebil Fekir (knee), Victor Ruiz (muscle) and Youssouf Sabaly (ankle), while Juanmi is a doubt due to illness.
Although Barcelona’s form has stuttered in recent weeks, Xavi’s men have more than enough quality to claim all three points on Saturday.
Forebet predicts that both teams will find the back of the net at Camp Nou. However, Barcelona are expected to outscore Real Betis.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
Es1
532818
1
2 - 1
3.05
20° 1.33
1.33
5.00
9.00
no
no
no
4 - 0(3 - 0)