Will Betis take the Copa high into the league?
It’s the second top match of matchday 27 in La Liga: Alongside Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad, Betis vs. Atletico represents another exciting cracker this weekend in Spain.
The third-placed team in the league meets the fifth-placed team – the two clubs are separated by just one point in the table. That naturally makes for a particularly explosive atmosphere in this duel for the Champions League. No wonder, then, that the odds on the top match between Betis Sevilla and Atletico Madrid are extremely balanced, with a slight tendency towards the reigning champions.
It is very difficult to pick a favourite in this match, in which both teams are likely to be on an equal footing – and not just in terms of the standings. Kick-off is at 9pm on Sunday evening at the Benito Villamarin in Sevilla. Who can land a big point in the CL race?
Betis Sevilla – Statistics & current form
Betis will go into the game against Atletico really euphoric, because on Thursday night the Verdiblancos celebrated the much-celebrated entry into the Spanish Cup final. At their own stadium, a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano was enough for Betis to reach the final after winning the first leg 2-1 in Vallecas. Borja Iglesias scored the final goal in the 90th minute. An emotionally acclaimed goal – players and fans in the Benito Villamarin celebrated in ecstasy at the final whistle.
Will this elation last until Sunday and can it be transformed into positive energy against Atletico in the next home match? If you believe so, Betis Sevilla vs. Atletico Madrid offers average odds of 3.10 on a home win.
Scoring power at Betis Sevilla is the trump card
Even detached from the Copa semi-final triumph, there are good reasons to back the home win. After all, the Beticos have won four of their last six games – and scored four goals in each of three of the four victories (4-0 against Alaves, 4-1 at Espanyol, 4-2 at Levante).
Goal scoring is the trump card for coach Manuel Pellegrini’s team. Only league leaders Real Madrid (52 goals) have scored more goals than Betis (48). However, Atletico Madrid already follow in third place with 47 goals. Therefore, it is natural to predict that Betis Sevilla will score against Atletico Madrid. “Both score” currently brings 1.70 odds, “Over 2.5 goals” is even dated with 1.95 odds on average.
Of course, the combination is really interesting: If both teams score and more than 2.5 goals are scored, Betis Sevilla vs Atletico Madrid offers betting odds of over 2.25.
Predicted Betis Sevilla line-up:
Bravo – Sabaly, Pezzella, Bartra, Moreno – Rodriguez, Carvalho, Canales, Fekir, Juanmi, Iglesias
Last matches played by Betis Sevilla:
Copa del Rey
03/03 2022 – Real Betis 1 – 1 Rayo Vallecano
LaLiga
02/27 2022 – Sevilla 2 – 1 Real Betis
Europa League Final Stage
02/24 2022 – Real Betis 0 – 0 Zenit St. Petersburg
LaLiga
02/20 2022 – Real Betis 2 – 1 Mallorca
Europa League Final Stage
02/17 2022 – Zenit St. Petersburg 2 – 3 Real Betis
Atletico Madrid – Statistics & current form
Surprisingly, Atletico also know how to score goals this season. Curiously, however, not with defending, because Atletico has already conceded 34 goals. In La Liga’s top 10, only Valencia has an even worse defence (42 goals conceded).
At least they were able to win twice in La Liga. Against Osasuna (3:0) and Celta Vigo (2:0), the often astonishingly shaky Jan Oblak kept his box clean again, something that had not been achieved for weeks or even months before that.
Betis vs Atletico: Goals expected
We wouldn’t bet on a “nil” with Betis either. Atletico are too susceptible this season and Betis are too strong in attack.
Atletico have conceded 22 goals away from home in 13 games, which is almost two goals per game. Since only five of the 13 away games were won (with three draws and five defeats), it is not surprising that odds of 2.40 are offered on Atletico’s away win in the top match between Betis Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. Although the Rojiblancos are slightly favoured, there is still a certain risk in betting on this.
Predicted line-up of Atletico Madrid:
Oblak – Savic, Gimenez, Reinildo – Vrsaljko, Kondogbia, De Paul, Llorente, Lodi – Felix, Griezmann
Last matches played by Atletico Madrid:
LaLiga
02/26 2022 – Atletico Madrid 2 – 0 Celta Vigo
Champions League Final
02/23 2022 – Atletico Madrid 1 – 1 Manchester United
LaLiga
02/19 2022 – Osasuna Pamplona 0 – 3 Atletico Madrid
02/16 2022 – Atletico Madrid 0 – 1 Levante
02/12 2022 – Atletico Madrid 4 – 3 Getafe
Betis Sevilla – Atletico Madrid Direct comparison / H2H record
However, there are also good reasons to back the Spanish champions on Sunday night. After all, Atletico have lost only one of their last ten direct duels against Betis. Six of these games were won. This was also the case in the “first leg” this season, when Atletico triumphed 3-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano on matchday 12.
The Beticos have been waiting five matches for a win against the team of coach Diego Simeone, who has an astonishingly strong record against Betis. Simeone has lost only one of 20 encounters as Atleti coach – and won 14!
Betis Sevilla – Atletico Madrid Tip
Simeone’s record against Betis is therefore really strong, which is an encouragement for the champions ahead of the tough trip to the Benito Villamarin. For Atletico, this match represents an absolutely key game in the race for the Champions League. Three points could see them leapfrog Betis in the table.
Meanwhile, the final appearance in the cup final should give Betis an emotional boost for this important top match, which is why we would be surprised if Simeone and his team walk off the pitch as winners again. For us, the draw is the most likely outcome in the “three-way” in a match where both teams should duel on equal terms.
However, we want to play it safe and play a little combo. Our prediction for the Betis Sevilla vs Atletico Madrid match is: Betis or a draw and more than 1.5 goals are scored.
