Betis vs Espanyol prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-04-14 16:30.
Though still hopeful of finishing in a UEFA Champions League qualification spot, Real Betis suffered a humiliating Easter Sunday shock last time out. Manuel Pellegrini’s stunned charges fell to a 2-0 defeat against heavy underdogs Cádiz, after going down to nine men in a show of indiscipline, and duly ended the weekend six points adrift of the top-four in La Liga (LL).
In a gloomy aftermath, the red-carded Sergio Canales sent out an apology on Twitter. However, the temporary lift on his four-game ban can only boost morale, as well as Betis’ chances of clawing points back from any deficit, though that is something the Andalusian side have failed to do the last four times they’ve conceded first in a home league game.
As for Espanyol, only a win – and a first league double over Betis since 2016/17 – gives them any chance of escaping the bottom-three here. A preceding run of five straight losses suggests that it’s unlikely, but the Blanquiazules have at least scored in each of their previous 14 LL outings, suggesting that emulating last season’s 42-point haul isn’t just a mere fantasy.
Judging by the league’s more recent survival scraps, such a tally should be enough to secure a third straight season of top-flight membership for Espanyol, but after four losses in five away trips, they simply have to improve on the road to get anywhere near that. This bleak sequence of results on hostile turf also saw them concede in each half on three occasions.
Players to watch: Scorer of Betis’ first goal in their last two wins, Borja Iglesias faces his old side once again. He hit a double against them in January 2022 (W 4-1), before Espanyol’s Martin Braithwaite avenged it a year to the day later with the sole goal in this season’s reverse clash! However, his only prior away goal against Betis (in August 2019) ended in a 2-1 win for the home side.
Hot stat: Only LL leaders Barcelona can match Espanyol’s haul of seven away league goals scored between the 61st-75th minute.