Will Zenit use home advantage against Betis?
Zenit St. Petersburg failed miserably in the group stage of the top flight, but now have the chance to make amends in the knockout stage of the Europa League. Looking at the field of participants in UEFA’s second most important European cup, the “Cup of Losers”, as the Europa League was once called by Franz Beckenbauer, is by no means a foregone conclusion.
Zenit St. Petersburg’s upcoming opponents are among the top-class teams in the current EL tournament. With Betis Sevilla, the Russian representative did not get an easy draw and is already challenged in the round of the last 32.
Among other things, the bookmakers’ assessment is due to the Andalusians’ season so far. After all, Betis is one of the three strongest teams in the Spanish top flight. In addition, the Andalusian representatives still have a realistic chance of winning a trophy in the cup competition.
Prior to the match in Russia, Betis once again boosted their confidence in the league and warmed up with a 4-2 win over Levante. If the “Verdiblancos” take the momentum with them, a good first leg result at Zenit St. Petersburg cannot be ruled out. Especially as the upcoming opponent has clear disadvantages in terms of match practice.
Zenit St. Petersburg – Statistics & current form
For the first time since the 2018/19 season, Zenit are back in the knockout stages of a European Cup. Previously, the Russian top-flight club had to pull out of the group stage of the top flight twice in a row, finishing bottom of the table. Participation in the knockout phase of the current European Championship is certainly encouraging, given that the season has not been the best on the international stage so far.
In a group with Chelsea, Juventus and Malmö, Zenit won only one match. In return, they conceded a total of ten goals in six group matches. Only Malmö, who finished last in the group, conceded more goals. It is therefore by no means unlikely that Zenit will concede at least one goal in the last 16 of the Europa League.
Betting fans who want to make a prediction on “BTS: Yes” for Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Betis Sevilla can pick up decent betting odds if they are successful. There is enough attacking power in both teams to ensure a high-scoring encounter in the upcoming match.
Weak record against Spanish clubs
Betting on the hosts from St. Petersburg, on the other hand, will be risky. The “Zenitchiki” have so far won only six of a total of 20 competitive matches against Spanish clubs on the international stage. Against teams from Andalusia – including FC Sevilla and Malaga – Zenit have so far won just one of eight competitive matches.
It is possible that the negative trend against Andalusian clubs will continue in the Premier duel with Betis. In terms of match practice, the upcoming opponent of the “Zenitchiki” has the edge. Zenit have not played a competitive match since December 2021. In the last two months, there have only been test matches for Sergey Semak’s team.
Nevertheless, Zenit gained some match practice in the Atlantic Cup and won against European top-flight teams such as Midtjylland, Copenhagen and Brøndby. Against Betis, the aim now is to build on the form curve from the test matches. Semak will only have to do without Lovren and Kristyuk due to injury.
Predicted line-up of Zenit St. Petersburg:
Kerzhakov; Chistyakov, Barrios, Rakitskiy; Karavaev, Wendel, Kusyaev, Santos; Malcom, Claudinho, Dzyuba
Last matches played by Zenit St. Petersburg:
The Atlantic Cup
02/11 2022 – Brøndby Copenhagen 1 – 2 Zenit St. Petersburg
02/10 2022 – FC Copenhagen (2)1 – 1(3) Zenit St. Petersburg
02/03 2022 – Zenit St. Petersburg 1 – 0 FC Midtjylland
Friendly club matches
01/25 2022 – Zenit St. Petersburg 5 – 0 Zilina
01/22 2022 – Zenit St. Petersburg 2 – 2 PFK Botev Plovdiv
Betis Sevilla – Statistics & current form
The season on the international stage has been manageable for Betis Sevilla so far, but the “Verdiblancos” have been brimming with confidence in La Liga. After all, the traditional Andalusian club is in third place after 24 match days, closely followed by teams like Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
One of the success factors in the current season has undoubtedly been the Andalusians’ offensive. In La Liga, only Real Madrid have scored more goals than Betis Sevilla after 24 match days. Betis have also underpinned their offensive power on the international stage, scoring twelve goals in six group matches.
On average, Betis scored two goals per EL match. If this continues, it is obvious that the “Verdiblancos” will score the important away goal in St. Petersburg. Betis are not expected to make any major changes compared to the starting eleven that was last deployed against Levante.
With Fekir out, not the offensive power needed?
Cross-checked against Zenit, Betis are at least partially ahead. After all, the Andalusians have only lost one competitive match against teams from Russia. However, because they have only played four competitive matches against Russian teams, their record is not very meaningful.
Against Zenit, the guests from Andalusia will have to work on their poor record away from home on the international stage. Betis have only won twice in their last seven away games in the European Cups. One of the two victories came in this year’s Europa League.
Betis beat Ferencvaros 3-1 in the group stage, but head coach Manuel Pellegrini’s side have already lost away games against Leverkusen and Celtic. In St. Petersburg, the Chilean will have to do without his offensive star Nabil Fekir. The 28-year-old is still not available due to a red card. Bravo and Montoya will also be absent due to injury.
Predicted line-up of Betis Sevilla:
Silva; Bellerin, Bartra, Pezzella, Moreno; Rodriguez, Carvalho, Rodri; Ruibal, Juanmi, Iglesias
Last matches played by Betis Sevilla:
LaLiga
02/13 2022 – Levante 2 – 4 Real Betis
Copa del Rey
02/09 2022 – Rayo Vallecano 1 – 2 Real Betis
LaLiga
02/06 2022 – Real Betis 0 – 2 FC Villarreal
Copa del Rey
02/03 2022 – San Sebastian 0 – 4 Real Betis
LaLiga
01/21 2022 – Espanyol 1 – 4 Real Betis
Zenit St. Petersburg – Betis Sevilla Direct comparison / H2H record
These two clubs are meeting for the first time in a competitive match. Previously, there was only one test match between Zenit vs Betis, which the Russian representatives won 3-0 at the winter break almost seven years ago
Zenit St. Petersburg – Betis Sevilla Tip
The last time Zenit St. Petersburg faced a Spanish side in the knockout stages of a European Cup, the Russian giants were knocked out. It is quite possible that this time, too, the international adventure of the “Zenitchiki” will end against a Spanish opponent. After all, Betis have had a great season so far.
The Andalusians are the third strongest team in the Spanish top flight behind Real Madrid and FC Sevilla. Their success was mainly due to their strong attack, as the “Verdiblancos” from Andalusia are the second strongest attacking team in the league. Betis have also been able to underpin this form on the international stage so far.
Betis have already scored twelve goals in their six group matches in the Europa League. If they keep up their strong goal tally in the knockout phase, it is likely that Betis Sevilla will make it through to the last 32 against Zenit.
We are already expecting a high-scoring encounter in the first leg, in which Betis will provide an offensive spectacle even without star player Fekir. With a bet of six units, we place our bet on Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Betis Sevilla at odds of 1.94 on over 2.5 goals in the match.
