Betis vs Atl. Madrid prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-10-22 14:15.
Real Betis can certainly be proud of being the only La Liga (LL) club to have won their first five home games of the season, a strength which is keeping them within reach of their first UEFA Champions League berth since 2005/06. However, with three of those wins against clubs placed 14th or lower in the LL standings, their detractors could argue theyâre yet to face the kind of stern test that 11-time LL champions AtlĂ©tico Madrid are likely to provide.
In addition to the task at hand for his club, Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini will be attempting to earn his first managerial win against Diego Simeone (D3, L5), a remarkably lopsided matchup for two of the 20 most experienced coaches in LL history. The pressure is on too, as Betis squandered a chance to move closer to the top of the standings after a 0-0 draw to strugglers CĂĄdiz in midweek, although Pellegrini praised his resolute defence that has now conceded fewer than two goals for a ninth time from ten starts this LL season.
AtlĂ©tico suffered an arguably greater embarrassment when failing to defeat Rayo Vallecano at home (1-1), leaving them alongside Betis on 20 points in a top-six logjam below rivals Real Madrid. It was just the third time they had dropped points as pre-match favourites this LL season (W5, D2, L1), although a usually-defiant Simeone accepted the last-gasp penalty decision as fair, instead lamenting his teamâs inability to be âforcefulâ after they failed to convert 12 shot attempts into more than one goal.
Despite that, AtlĂ©tico appear a likely candidate to test Betisâ wily defenders, having put three goals past their opponents twice last season (W2), particularly if they can continue to accumulate strong starts that has seen them put together LLâs equal-best first-half record (1H: W6, D3, L1) from the first ten rounds of the campaign.
Players to watch: Borja Iglesias has been an instrumental cog in Betisâ home success, scoring in all but one of their five LL home wins. Meanwhile, Ălvaro Morata, goalscorer for AtlĂ©tico during the week, was also on the scoresheet in his last trip to Betis.
Hot streak: Betis have won the last 12 LL games in which they scored the opening goal.