Barcelona vs Betis prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-09-15 19:00.
Barcelona needed a late Robert Lewandowski penalty to defeat Osasuna and go into the international break unbeaten in this La Liga (LL) campaign (W3, D1), the fourth straight season they didn't lose any of their opening four matches. Crucially, after firing a blank on matchday one against Getafe, Barça have scored eight goals, which is only two fewer than scoring leaders Atlético Madrid ahead of this round, so far solving one headache for manager Xavi.
Their three-game winning sequence started at their new âhomeâ with a 2-0 victory over CĂĄdiz, and with three matches across seven days at Estadi OlĂmpic LluĂs Companys starting here, the Catalans will be hoping that the break hasnât halted their momentum. The arrival of Real Betis isnât likely to dampen their morale though, considering Barça have won 17 of the last 20 LL H2Hs (D1, L2).
It doesnât help Betisâ cause that their manager Manuel Pellegrini has personally lost more games against Barça than any other club (W5, D4, L24). While that record lurks in the background, thereâs no hiding the fact that the visitors fuelled their top-six aspirations via seven gritty points in this league campaign (W2, D1, L1), with both wins coming by a slender one-goal margin.
Their only defeat came on the road in a 4-2 loss to Athletic Club but Betis had travelled well before that, collecting ten points from their four prior away league games (W3, D1). Their last two LL away outings saw Betis open the scoring and as good omens go, the last time they did so in this fixture, they ended up 1-0 winners at Camp Nou in December 2021!
Players to watch: Barcelonaâs teenage sensation Lamine Yamal made more headlines during the break by becoming the youngest-ever Spanish menâs senior international and goalscorer. Willian JosĂ© is no spring chicken anymore but has three goals in his last four games, and extending that run could help better his career record of four goals from 12 LL H2Hs.
Hot stat: Going into the international break, Betis took on average the second-fewest corners (2.75 per game) and conceded the highest (6.00) in LL.