In the harbour of the yellow submarine
There’s always something mysterious about the start of the season. The previous season is still present. But now it’s a new start and the past is just a façade. This also applies to the successes of the previous year. A thrilling head-to-head race ended with the victory of the hosts. Reason enough for the guests to seek revenge. However, the betting odds on Villareal against Betis Sevilla do not inspire much optimism for this plan.
The transfer summer of the two was quite different. The yellow submarine (supposedly) strengthened and replaced smartly and cheaply. Combined with the enormous sums that could be earned through sales (to England and Italy), there is a plus of almost 100 million.
The visitors also made changes. However, as the transfers were either made free of charge or on loan, there was little cash flow. The result is a plus of 20 million. Which tactic is more successful remains to be seen. In the here and now, Villareal is the clear favourite against Betis Sevilla according to the odds.
Both teams have imposed a tight programme on themselves with seven (Villareal) and six (Betis) games. Neither the yellows nor the greens had anything positive to report. They suffered defeats. Some of them were even quite clear. In the case of Villareal against Betis Sevilla, however, the forecasts seem to be exactly the opposite of the preparation. Here, the hosts come off much better.
FC Villarreal – Statistics & current form
U-Boats come from underground. They appear suddenly and then disappear again. It was the same with Villareal at one time. Only they have stayed, like the nickname.
Wakeup release
Fittingly for the maritime allegory, there was also a changing of the guard on the boat this summer. Eight departures and seven additions were reported. The turnover that resulted was phenomenal. Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea), Pau Torres (Aston Villa), Samuel Chukwueze (Milan) and Boulaye Dia (Salernitana) brought in almost 110 million.
The signings of Alexander Sorloth (Leipzig) for 10 million and Ramon Terrats (Girona) for 2.5 million seem like bargains. The rest even came to Ceramica for free. It remains to be seen whether the new arrivals will work out. But the summer was definitely profitable.
The Captain
That will probably only be of limited interest to the man at the helm. In Quique Setien, a sometimes long-suffering coach is on the sidelines. In his more than 20 years of coaching, he has no titles to his name. However, he was able to attract attention with Las Palmas and especially with today’s guests.
His attractive approach to the game convinced the grandees at Camp Nou to sign the coach as a replacement for the disgraced Ernesto Valverde. A disappointing season with an outdated and partially divided Blaugrana then cost him his head. He has now been repairing his reputation quite successfully in the Valencia area since 2022. With a fifth-place finish, they made it to Europe with ease and are looking to do so again this year.
The preparation
Though the trial gallop was probably only partially conducive to the real thing. One win, two draws and four defeats are on the books, as are 6:18 goals. Especially the goals conceded were sometimes frightening. It is true that they had strong opponents in Newcastle (0:4), Sporting CP (0:3) and Feyenoord (1:1).
But it was surprising that they were beaten so badly by Hannover (0:3) and especially St. Gallen (1:6). Now, one shouldn’t attach too much importance to the preparation for the matches, but at least the results didn’t fill anyone with euphoria.
Predicted line-up of FC Villarreal:
FC Villarreal (Expected line-up) 4-1-2-3
Real Betis – Statistics & current form
Real Betis’ summer was dominated by one theme. He did it in the end. The living club legend of the green and white Joaquin has hung up his boots. Now the new generation has to prove itself.
New heroes are needed
Fittingly, the Beticos have also been active in the transfer market. Similar to the hosts, however, they were cost-conscious. There were nine additions and eleven departures. Sergio Canales (Monterrey), Diego Lainez (Tigres) and Edgar Gonzalez (Almeria) brought in roughly 20 million.
They were replaced by returnee Hector Bellerin (Sporting CP), Ayoze Perez (Leicester), Marc Bartra (Trabzonspor) and Marc Roca (Leeds), to name just a few familiar names. They are the ones who will have to carry on Joaquin’s legacy and, above all, perform in the league, cup and European Cup.
The grey eminence
The Beticos have been successfully demonstrating that this can work for years now under the guidance of Manuel Pellegrini. The former Manchester City mastermind has now been at Calle Heliopolis since 2020. He has won 73 times in 148 games and brought the Copa del Rey to Benito Villamarin in 2022.
His attacking approach has the fans’ hearts beating faster, although some would like to see a little more defence. With 46:41 goals, there was always something on offer last season. Should that continue in the new season, the Green-Whites are a good bet for a goal bet at Bet-at-home.
The preparation
As with Villareal, Betis are coming off a mixed pre-season. They dueled six times. One win, one draw and four defeats, as well as 4:9 goals stand there. It is unpleasant that the victory (1:0 Middlesbrough) and the draw (1:1 Burnley) were achieved against teams from the island.
However, the defeats came against Braunschweig (1:3), Monaco (1:3), Sevilla (0:1) and Real Sociedad (0:1). This means that good results were not achieved, especially against competitors for Europe. This may also be a reason why Villareal seem to have a clear advantage in the odds against Betis Sevilla.
Predicted Real Betis line-up:
Real Betis (Expected line-up) 4-2-3-1
FC Villarreal – Real Betis Direct Comparison / H2H Record
Every year they meet again for a duel. Two of the league’s fixed giants often stand for exciting football. Fittingly, the last goalless draw was several years ago (2016). So a goal bet at Bet365 is definitely a good idea. Goalkeepers have nothing to laugh about here.
Of the last ten encounters, five went to the hosts and three to the visitors. With 18:8 goals per Villareal, there is also a clear tendency. That’s probably why Villareal are favoured to win at home against Betis Sevilla.
FC Villarreal – Real Betis Tip
In terms of transfers, Villareal were certainly the winners. They had to let important parts of the squad go, but they also made a lot of money. Since the departures could also be cushioned very cheaply, this can be seen as a real success.
Betis acted similarly, albeit not as profitably. Now the new recruits are under scrutiny and the bookies are certain. Villareal v Betis Sevilla is dominated by predictions suggesting a home win.
When looking at preparations, neither have covered themselves in glory. Preparations are predestined for fine-tuning and not necessarily a winning streak. But nobody likes to be shot down.
But that’s exactly what happened to the hosts several times. One should not take it too seriously, but perhaps one can derive something interesting from it. Many goals against recommend a goal bet like at Bet-at-home. Overall, however, our tip is 1 for Villareal against Betis Sevilla.
