Matchday 16 of La Liga between Real Betis and Barcelona will take place on December 7 at the Benito Villamarin Stadium in Seville. Real Betis vs. Barcelona: prediction, betting odds, and statistics.
Referee: Alejandro Muniz Ruiz (Spain)
Matches – 8 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 30;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.8;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 25%.
Predicted lineups for Real Betis vs. Barcelona
Real Betis (4-2-3-1): Rui Silva – Youssouf Sabaly, Marc Bartra, Diego Llorente, Romain Perraud – Sergi Altimira, Carlos Girao – Giovani Lo Celso, Abde Ezzalzouli, Jesus Rodriguez – Vitor Hugo Roque.
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Inaki Pena – Pau Cubarsi, Jules Kounde, Inigo Martinez, Alex Balde – Marc Casado, Pedri – Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal, Pablo Torre – Ferran Torres.
Each team's starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is listed.
Real Betis
The Seville side has failed to win in their last four La Liga matches. They drew with Athletic Bilbao (1-1) and Celta Vigo (2-2) before suffering away defeats to Valencia (2-4) and Real Sociedad (0-2). This poor run has seen them drop to 10th place, six points adrift of the Champions League spots. Notably, this season is Betis' worst in the last four years (in the previous three La Liga campaigns, they had never collected fewer than 25 points after 15 rounds).
Defender Nobel Mendy and midfielders William Carvalho, Isco, and Marc Roca are sidelined due to injuries.
- The number "1" appeared in the final scoreline in 8 of Betis' last 11 La Liga matches.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 15 of Betis' last 17 La Liga matches.
- In 11 of their last 14 league encounters, the first half ended in a draw.
Barcelona
The Catalans crushed Mallorca 5-1 away in their last league outing. This emphatic victory ended a three-match winless streak in La Liga, which included defeats to Real Sociedad (0-1) and Las Palmas (1-2), as well as a draw with Celta Vigo (2-2). Ahead of this round, they lead Real Madrid by four points, although Madrid has a game in hand.
Due to injuries, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, forward Ansu Fati, defenders Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, and midfielder Marc Bernal are unavailable.
- At least three goals have been scored in 8 of Barcelona's last 9 La Liga matches.
- They have conceded in their last five league matches.
- The Catalans have only lost the second half once in their last 12 away La Liga matches (8 wins and 3 draws).
Real Betis vs. Barcelona: Match Prediction
Sevilla's side is in poor form, failing to win in four consecutive La Liga matches and dropping to an unusually low position in the standings. Meanwhile, Barcelona, after their victory in the Balearic Islands, seems to have recovered from a series of setbacks in La Liga and is ready to embark on another winning streak. Notably, the return of Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal from injuries contributed to their big win over Mallorca.
Barcelona boasts an excellent record against Betis. In their last 11 league meetings, the Catalans have won 10 times, with Sevilla triumphing only once. At Benito Villamarin, the hosts have lost the last seven league encounters. Additionally, Barcelona performs well away from home, winning 9 of their last 12 La Liga matches.
My prediction – Barcelona to win
