Small final for Champions League qualification
Preliminary final for the participation in the Champions League: On the 35th matchday of La Liga, Betis Sevilla receive FC Barcelona for the duel for the top class. The fifth-placed team challenges the second-placed team – and desperately needs points. Preferably three, of course, if the newly crowned Spanish Cup winners want to play in the Champions League next season.
Currently, Betis are three points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid and eight points behind opponents Barcelona. A win against Barça on Saturday evening (9pm), and the CL race will be mighty exciting again. Because Atletico only play on Sunday evening and would be under real pressure before the derby against city rivals Real Madrid.
Betis Sevilla vs. Barcelona offers odds of over 3.00 on a home win – especially considering Barcelona’s recent performance. Betis will definitely be fired up for their little CL qualifying final, which is why we expect an entertaining and exciting game – including a few goals, possibly on both sides. Because history also shows: Those who predict (many) goals in the Betis Sevilla vs. Barcelona match have rarely been wrong. More on this below in the direct comparison.
Betis Sevilla – Statistics & current form
Lately Betis didn’t necessarily score many goals in La Liga, more precisely none at all. For three games, the Verdiblancos have been waiting for a goal of their own. Accordingly, they have not managed to win any of their last three games, and on Monday they drew 0-0 with Getafe. Before that, they suffered a surprising and disappointing 1-0 defeat against Elche and a 0-0 draw against Real Sociedad, their closest rivals in the table.
Three league games without a win or a goal do not sound good, but in between there was of course the great triumph in the Copa del Rey against Valencia after a penalty shoot-out. The newly-crowned cup winners may still have been struggling with the after-effects of their triumph in Getafe on Monday, but Betis will be fully motivated against Barça – after all, the Champions League is still at stake.
Betis have Europa League place safe – race for Champions League
After all, Betis have already secured their place in the Europa League due to their cup triumph. Even if they lose to Barça and are overtaken by Real Sociedad, who are currently sixth in the table, that would have no consequences for Betis.
But of course the Pellegrini team wants to reach the top flight. To do so, they need a home win against a Blaugrana that has been shaky lately. At least that Betis will score again is a tip we can give in good conscience before Betis Sevilla vs. Barcelona. With a goal average of almost two Betis goals per home game (31 goals in 17 games at home) and an almost equal yield of Barcelona in away games (34 goals in 17 away games), there are good reasons to bet on Betis against Barcelona scoring more than 2.5 goals or both – maybe even a combination of both.
Since there are odds of over 3.00 on Betis Sevilla vs. Barcelona to win at home, it is also worth taking a look at the double chance 1X.
Predicted Betis Sevilla line-up:
Bravo – Bellerin, Pezzella, Ruiz, Moreno – Canales, Rodriguez, Ruibal, Fekir, Juanmi – Iglesias
Last matches played by Betis Sevilla:
La Liga
03/05/2022 – Getafe 0 – 0 Real Betis
Copa del Rey
24/04/2022 – Real Betis (5)1 – 1(4) Valencia
La Liga
20/04/2022 – Real Betis 0 – 1 Elche
16/04/2022 – Real Sociedad 0 – 0 Real Betis
09/04/2022 – Cadiz 1 – 2 Real Betis
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
It’s not a stretch to bet on a point for the home side – after all, Barça have struggled mightily in recent weeks, not only giving away points against completely different teams, but even losing them. Twice in a row, they suffered heavy defeats at home against relegation candidates FC Cadiz and Rayo Vallecano (both 0:1). At least last week’s match was a narrow 2-1 home win against Mallorca, which calmed the spirits in Barcelona a little.
And it means that things are now looking much better in terms of Champions League qualification. Barcelona are eight points ahead of fifth-placed Betis and could even afford a defeat at the Benito Villamarin without getting into real trouble. After all, there are only three league games left. A win and Barça are assured of CL participation.
FC Barcelona: Win at Betis for fixed Champions League qualification
“In the end, whoever has the most intensity, the most confidence and the most will will enter the Champions League. We have to have self-confidence and not let up,” Barça coach Xavi had recently declared in the final spurt for the Champions League.
Those who believe in a win for the visitors and thus early qualification for the CL for the Catalans will find betting odds of 2.25 on average for Betis Sevilla vs. Barcelona. Xavi’s team knows how to win games at the Benito Villamarin – Barcelona have won their last four guest games in a row at Betis.
Predicted Barcelona line-up:
Ter Stegen – Alves, Araujo, Garcia, Alba – Busquets, De Jong, Gavi – Dembélé, Aubameyang, Depay
Last matches played by Barcelona:
La Liga
02/05/2022 – FC Barcelona 2 – 1 Mallorca
25/04/2022 – FC Barcelona 0 – 1 Rayo Vallecano
22/04/2022 – Real Sociedad 0 – 1 FC Barcelona
19/04/2022 – FC Barcelona 0 – 1 Cadiz
Europa League Final Stage
15/04/2022 – FC Barcelona 2 – 3 Eintracht Frankfurt
Betis Sevilla – Barcelona Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
We have already mentioned it: Betis against Barcelona promises goals galore. An incredible 46 goals have been scored in the last 10 encounters, making an average of 4.6 goals per game. Only the first encounter of the season in December did not produce many goals, when Betis surprisingly won 1:0 at Camp Nou.
But the games before that were all high-scoring and top-class. Just to list the six results before: 3:2, 5:2, 3:2, 5:2, 4:1 and 3:4 – from FC Barcelona’s point of view. So it’s no wonder that the odds on Betis Sevilla vs. Barcelona on the combo Both score & Over 2.5 goals are not really high, at around 1.80.
Betis Sevilla – Barcelona Tip
With a win FC Barcelona will have secured their participation in the Champions League, while for Betis this is a bit of a final. A loss to Barça and a simultaneous Atletico win over Real Madrid on Sunday would see their CL dreams become a distant memory.
As is the way with such small finals, a three-way bet seems like no easy matter and is therefore too tricky for us. We can imagine a draw just as well as a win for the visitors – after all, there have been a few of those at the Benito Villamarin recently. The safer bet is that goals will be scored – on both sides.
Betis should be able to end their goal drought against Barça’s not always solid Blaugrana defence. Barcelona themselves are always good for goals, especially in Sevilla. We therefore bet on a combination: Both score combined with the double chance X2. The duel should provide good entertainment for the neutral football fan.
