(Football news) The defending champions are third in the standings with 10 points after their first four games of the year, while Real Betis are in seventh place with just 7 points after four games. With a scoreless draw against Getafe to open the 2018 La Liga campaign, Barcelona had a lacklustre debut. Since then, though, they have defeated Cadiz, Villarreal, and Osasuna three times in a row.
Prior to the intermission, it did look as though Osasuna and Real Madrid would split the points as Ezequiel Avila cancelled out Jules Kounde’s first-half goal to tie the game. However, Robert Lewandowski scored the game-winning goal in the 86th minute.
Barcelona is currently in third place in the standings, two points behind Real Madrid, and Xavi’s team is getting ready for three straight home games, including two league games with Celta Vigo visiting Camp Nou the following weekend.
The Catalan giants will also host Royal Antwerp in their Champions League group stage debut the following week. The club is determined to improve in the league after failing to advance past the group round in either of the previous two seasons.
Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix were acquired by Barcelona on loan from Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, respectively, on the final day of the transfer window. The two players made their debuts against Osasuna, and they both hope to help the team have another successful season.
Real Betis, meanwhile, comes into this game off of a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano, with the game’s lone goal coming from Willian Jose in the 53rd minute.
The team led by Manuel Pellegrini has earned seven points from its first four games, starting with a 2-1 victory over Villarreal before drawing with Atletico Madrid and dropping a match to Athletic Bilbao.
The Seville team is sixth in the standings and gearing up for Europa League play the following week, where they will travel to face Rangers in their first group-stage match.
Real Betis expects to be in the top half of the standings at the end of the current campaign after finishing sixth in La Liga last year. This directly qualifies them for the group stage of the Europa League.
The Green and Whites have fallen to Barcelona in their last three league meetings, although they have recently enjoyed success at Camp Nou, winning 1-0 there in December 2021.
Barcelona La Liga Form
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Real Betis La Liga Form
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Key players Pedri and Ronald Araujo are still out of commission for Barcelona due to injuries, and Ilkay Gundogan, who suffered a back injury while playing for Germany during the international break, is in serious danger. Although Gundogan’s problem is not regarded to be as bad as first feared, he is not likely to participate in this game.
Fermin Lopez is also out because of a suspension stemming from a red card he received while playing for Barcelona’s second squad. In addition, 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who just made history by being Spain’s youngest player and goalscorer, is anticipated to start in the final third once more owing to his strong early-season play. Cancelo and Felix may make their full debuts in the starting lineup.
For Real Betis, injured players Aitor Ruibal, Luiz Henrique, Claudio Bravo, William Carvalho, and Nabil Fekir are presently out of action.
There will need to be a change at the back from the last match against Rayo, with Marc Bartra perhaps stepping in to face his former club. Pellegrini’s team also sold Luiz Felipe to Al-Ittihad before the Saudi Pro League transfer deadline.
In the final third of the pitch, Willian Jose should once more be preferred over Borja Iglesias, while Marc Roca may now start with Guido Rodriguez in the middle of the park as a result of Carvalho’s injury.
