La Liga Match Preview: Real Betis vs Sevilla

Written by Patrick Echatah

On Sunday night, one of the most heated rivalries in European football will resume when Real Betis welcomes Sevilla to the Estadio Benito Villamarin.

The two teams have been in opposite forms for the whole of the season, with the home team being in fourth place and the visitors currently in 18th place and involved in an unexpected relegation battle before the upcoming World Cup break.

STYLE OF PLAY

Real Betis coach, Manuel Pellegrini uses a 4-3-2-1 formation when his team are in possession with Guido Rodríguez, and Sergio Canales in central midfield while Nabil Fekir and Luiz Henrique flanking Borja Iglesias as forwards. Betis built play from the back, withdrawing a central midfielder into their defensive line when the opposition press.

Sevilla usually play a 4-3-3 formation. This formation allows them to switch to a 3-4-3 or a 4-1-4-1 with little variations, being very adaptable even within the same game. We can usually see the defensive midfielder dropping between the centre-backs to form a back-three or the wingers going back to help the midfielders to defend form of counter attack. This transition allows Sampaoli to switch different tactics.

FORM

Things are going very well for Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis at the moment, with their sights set firmly on a top four finish this season. They are currently leading their Europa League group with 16 points out of a possible 18, and they have three straight victories behind them. Los Verdiblancos were able to rotate important team members while giving players like Nabil Fekir and Sergio Canales minutes at the end of a comfortable win after following up a stunning 2-0 victory against Real Sociedad with a 3-0 victory over HJK Helsinki in midweek.

Real Betis absorbed a lot of the early pressure from top-four rivals La Real before scoring twice in the closing 10 minutes on two counterattacks spearheaded by the excellent Alex Moreno. In front of their boisterous home crowd, Pellegrini’s team has been dominant at home, winning five of their six league games thus far. The home team will want to put on a display because the anticipation for their bitter rivals’ visit has been amplified.

Sevilla, on the other hand, had six losses in their first twelve games and is entrenched in the relegation zone. On Wednesday, Jorge Sampaoli’s team unexpectedly took the lead against Manchester City before losing 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium to finish third in Group G. Los Nervionenses’ performance the weekend before was far more worrisome, as they lost to Rayo Vallecano in a dreadful game in which they failed to register a single shot in the first half.

There are legitimate worries that Sevilla could be in relegation peril if things do not improve soon since the team has never failed to win any of its first six league games. Although a visit to their raging rivals at this time is definitely not a good idea, Sevilla will be hoping that form will be forgotten in the heat of a competitive city rivalry.

HEAD TO HEAD

Real Betis and Sevilla have faced each other 47 times, Sevilla seem get the better of Real Betis when it matters most in recent years. Real Betis have won 8 times while Sevilla have won 24 times, there are 15 draws between the two Spanish clubs.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Borja Iglesias is the player to watch for Real Betis, the Spaniard has scored 8 goals and provided 3 assist in all competition for the Spanish club. The 29-year-old striker has been the standout player for Real Betis. Óliver Torres is the player to watch for Sevilla. The Spanish attacking midfielder has scored 3 goals in 10 La Liga matches for Sevilla this season.

TEAM NEWS

Real Betis: The leading scorer from the previous campaign, Juanmi, won’t be playing for the home team because he is expected to recover from an ankle injury after the World Cup. With a hamstring issue, center back Luiz Felipe will also be sidelined, and club great Joaquin is out due to a muscular strain. With Fekir and Canales back, Betis gains two of the team’s most skilled attacking players to support Iglesias up front, who is a prolific scorer.

Sevilla: With a thigh strain, Sevilla’s center back Marcao left the game in Manchester at halftime and is not expected back until January. Isco is out of the game after receiving too many yellow cards, and Fernando and Tanguy Nianzou will need to undergo evaluations.

POSSIBLE LINEUP

Real Betis: Silva; Moreno, Pezzella, Edgar, Sabaly; Rodriguez, Fekir, Carvalho; Canales, Iglesias, Henrique

Sevilla: Bounou; Acuna, Rekik, Gudelj, Montiel; Rakitic, Jordan; Gomez, Torres, Mir; Dolberg

VERDICT

In front of what is expected to be an electrifying, sold-out audience, we can anticipate another fierce match in this derby as these contests are always rough and tumble affairs. Given their different records and the hosts’ dominant home form, it is difficult to pick against Real Betis, who should secure another significant win as they seek to humiliate their hapless guests. Real Betis 3-1 Sevilla

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