Betis vs Barcelona prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-01-31 20:00.
Borja Iglesias’ late penalty gave Real Betis a 1-0 win over Getafe on Sunday and halted their three-game competitive losing run while rekindling hopes of a first La Liga (LL) top-four finish since 2004/05. Manuel Pellegrini’s side remain only three points off the top four but they’ll have to address inconsistent league form to go level with a win here, as they haven’t posted consecutive LL victories since mid-September.
Another challenge for the hosts is to reverse their recent three-match home league form (D2, L1) which has partly undone the hard work of five straight home LL victories to start the season. The arrival of Barcelona isn’t ideal in that regard either, as Betis have failed to win a top-flight home H2H since March 2008 (D3, L8) including five straight losses.
The visitors will look to extend that streak having already defeated Betis in January during their Supercopa de España trophy-winning run. Barça have harnessed that momentum, with a 1-0 win at Girona and a draw for Real Madrid at the weekend stretching their lead at the top of LL table to five points. Their away form has been impressive too, with Barcelona winning eight of their last nine LL road trips with the only blemish coming at Real (L 3-1).
Four of the last five away league wins for Xavi’s men have come by a 1-0 scoreline and despite a near-impenetrable defence, a lack of goals could represent a chink in the armour. In fact, their last three wins anywhere came by a 1-0 scoreline so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a repeat here, although the last time they won a LL H2H with a single strike was back in 1996!
Players to watch: Juanmi may push for a starting role having scored four career goals in 12 LL H2Hs including the winner in a 1-0 success at Camp Nou last season. Considering their goal struggles, Barcelona may be relieved to see their own marksman return in the form of Robert Lewandowski, as seven of his last nine scoring league games have seen them score multiple times.
Hot stat: Only Barcelona (15) and Atlético (14) have kept more first-half clean sheets than Betis (13) this league campaign.