Barcelona’s terrific run in La Liga is possibly their only hope of ressurecting the fans, who have seen some pretty poor times in recent years. As it stands, Xavi Hernandez and his troops are looking well set to go on the surge and make a massive impact. They are now five points clear in the points table against Real Madrid and are on the verge of adding another league title if they can continue this run and in that process, next up, they will be facing Real Betis away from home.
Real Betis have had a decent season so far and are lurking around the European positions. However, they are within touching distance of the top four which can win them Champions League status and with Atletico Madrid, the current fourth-position holders of the competition, struggling to make their presence felt, there is good room for them to get through and procure something big. However, the way Barcelona have held ground so far in the league this season, it’ll be pretty difficult for them to pull off an upset.
Both these teams recently squared off in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final, which went all the way down to the penalties where Marc-Andre Ter Stegen emerged victorious over his opposite number. They also lost the Copa Del Rey clash in the round of 16 against Osasuna in a pretty identical fixture to that of the semi-final against Barcelona, where the normal time ended 2-2 and the penalties finished 4-2. In their most recent league fixture, Betis have struggled to convert their chances and have scored one goal in their last two matches.
The only positive for the side heading into this match is that late victory against Getafe away from home. Borje Iglesias stepped up to convert the penalty in the 86th minute that sealed a much-needed victory for the team. They did look positive going forward with plenty of positive ball progressions, however, it is their lack of adaptability in the final third that let them down. This will be a big test for them against the quality of the Catalan Giants, but one cannot totally rule out a comeback that could seal the deal.
Barcelona often find themselves in a pit but find a way to get out of it, that is the way they have operated in the 21st century and once again, they find themselves downtrodden in a difficult situation. They have been in good form since the the FIFA World Cup ended and found themselves in incredibly tricky situations on two occasions, bailed out on one instance by Ansu Fati in the Copa del Rey, but couldn’t escape dropping points in the derby match against Espanyol.
They were up against Intercity in the Copa Del Rey clash, which turned out to be rather enterprising and entertaining than expected. Barcelona, who boast of the best defensive record in the league this season, were torn to shreds by the second division Spanish club. Oriol Puig scored a second-half hat-trick for Intercity that cancelled out goals from Araujo, Dembele and Raphinha. The game was pushed into extra time, where Ansu Fati came off the bench to score a winner.
In the league, their Catalan derby against Espanyol had the entire footballing community mumbling. Referee Mateu Lahoz, who officiated the most heated game of the World Cup between Argentina and Netherlands in the quarterfinals, was taking charge for this deby game and once again, showing 16 yellow cards, which accounted for two reds as well. This resulted in Barcelona dropping two points, but thanks to Villarreal’s 2-1 win against Real Madrid and 0-0 draw against Sociedad, they have gone five clear of their arch-rivals in the league title chase.
Barcelona have picked up two narrow wins in their last two matches, which may come as a cause of concern but looking it from another end of the spectrum, they did close out crucial wins in games they didn’t play very well, which is another hall-mark of a top class team. Pedri bailed them out in their last league fixture against Girona with a crucial second-half goal, whilst Ousmane Dembele did so in the Copa Del Rey.
For the fans of Barcelona, all that matters is the league silverware which has eluded them for three seasons now. Although Real Madrid aren’t far away, the gap is significant enough to keep their hopes high and considering the fact that the Galacticos have their own brand of problems to deal with, there are more signs suggesting a Xavi party than Ancelotti’s. Barcelona are also in contention for the Europa League and face a tricky fixture up next against Manchester United, the fans wouldn’t be entirely disappointed if they don’t go through in this competition.
RB vs BAR, La Liga 2022/23
Date: February 2, 2023
Time: 1:30 AM IST
Venue: Benito Villamarin
FORM GUIDE:
Real Betis La Liga form:
D-L-D-W-L-W
Real Betis form (all competitions):
W-W-L-L-L-W
Barcelona La Liga form:
W-W-D-W-W-W
Barcelona form (all competitions):
W-W-W-W-W-W
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
Real Betis wins: 9
Draws: 8
Barcelona wins: 26
TEAM NEWS:
Real Betis team news:
Real Betis’ only injury concern is with winger Juan Cruz, who has not played since early October due to a hamstring injury. Nabil Fekir and Juanmi were fit to return to the substitutes’ bench last time out after recovering from muscle problems and they will be in contention for recalls to the starting lineup on Wednesday.
January signing Abner will be pushing to make his first home start at left-back ahead of Juan Miranda, while midfield lynchpins William Carvalho and Guido Rodriguez are set to continue in front of the back four.
Barcelona team news:
As for Barcelona, Ousmane Dembele could be sidelined for at least three weeks after coming off in the 25th minute of the win over Girona with a thigh injury. The winger has scored some crucial goals for Barcelona this season in one of his best prolonged runs without an injury and this could dent Xavi’s ambitions slightly.
However, the Catalan giants can welcome back Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres from suspension and the attacking duo could be recalled to the first XI. Lewandowski scored two goals during his side’s Supercopa de Espana campaign alongside 13 goals in 15 matches in the league.
The likes of Pedri, Sergio Roberto and Jordi Alba, who all began on the bench against Girona, started in the Super Cup clash against Betis earlier this month and could be included from the opening whistle again on Wednesday.
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Sabaly, Pezzella, Felipe, Miranda; Rodriguez, Carvalho; Henrique, Fekir, Rodri; Iglesias
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Alba; Gavi, De Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Torres
Predictions:
Barcelona’s dynamic game play which includes quick passing and holding possession for long periods of time was in full display during the Supecopa final against Real Madrid, one that well and truly announced the golden days back for the Catalan unit. However, it is a difficult art to keep consistent and we have seen the ramifications of it in recent times. There is no way Xavi will be backing out of his principles and once again, he will ask his players to suck the life out of his opponents.
Barcelona’s incredible pressing midfield has done a good job this season in winning the ball back immediately and they continue to do so. Betis have to rely on counters and must try to find a way to beat that incredible midfield of Gavi, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, who have kept things extremely tight. The likes of Rodri and Nabil Fekir will be expected to pull the strings regularly with their creative brains and they are the only hope for Betis to pull something out of this match.
However, Xavi and his troops enter this match as favourites and are more likely to finish the match in his own style. Barcelona are expected to win this match 2-0.
