Matchday 17 of La Liga between Villarreal and Betis will take place on December 15 at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Villarreal vs. Betis: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández (Spain)
Matches – 7 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 34;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.9;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 29%.
Predicted lineups for Villarreal vs. Betis
Villarreal (4-4-2): Diego Conde – Juan Bernat, Raul Albiol, Kiko Femenia, Logan Costa – Dani Parejo, Santi Comesaña, Alex Baena, Yeremy Pino – Pape Gueye, Tierno Barry.
Betis (4-2-3-1): Fran Vieites – Youssouf Sabaly, Marc Bartra, Diego Llorente, Romain Perraud – Sergi Altimira, Mateo Flores – Giovani Lo Celso, Ez Abde, Chimy Avila – Vitor Hugo Roque.
The starting lineup for each team is as per their last match in this tournament.
Villarreal
The Valencians played away in the last round, where they suffered a 0-2 defeat to Athletic. Prior to this, the team was unbeaten in five consecutive La Liga matches, securing two wins and three draws. Interestingly, in the current championship, the club has only failed to score twice (previously a goalless defeat to Real Madrid). Marcelino García's side is in fifth place in the standings and is already six points behind Athletic, who are fourth (but Villarreal has two games in hand).
Midfielder Santi Comesaña will miss the match due to the accumulation of yellow cards.
- Both teams have scored in 14 of the club's last 17 La Liga matches.
- At least three goals have been scored in 10 of Villarreal's last 11 home league games.
- One team has won with a "clean" score in the first half in eight of the previous matches of the Valencians in La Liga.
Betis
The Seville side avoided defeat in their last match against Barcelona, scoring in the 94th minute (2-2). Nevertheless, the club's winless streak in the championship has increased to five matches (3 draws and 2 losses). Currently, the team is in 11th place in the standings but is only three points away from the European competition zone.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 15 of Betis's last 18 La Liga games.
- The first half ended in a draw in 11 of the club's last 15 La Liga matches.
- The Sevillians have not won in the second half of their last 14 away league games (9 draws and 5 losses).
Villarreal vs. Betis: Match Prediction
The hosts of the upcoming match are in good form. The team is rightly aiming for a Champions League finish this season, as evidenced by their results in La Liga – in the last 19 matches, the Valencians have lost only three times, and that too to higher-ranked opponents (Athletic, Barcelona, and Real Madrid). Additionally, in the last 17 home games in La Liga, the team has suffered only two defeats (8 wins and 7 draws). Therefore, I believe Villarreal will at least not lose the upcoming match.
I also expect both teams to score. The Valencians have a 14-match scoring streak at home in the league, but they have also conceded in 8 of their last 9 home La Liga matches. The Sevillians have scored in 11 of their last 13 league games, while conceding in 10 of their last 12 La Liga matches. Furthermore, in head-to-head encounters, in the last 12 matches at Estadio de la Cerámica, the Valencians have not lost nine times (7 wins and 3 draws), with both teams scoring in 6 of the last 7 meetings at this stadium in La Liga.
My prediction – 1X and BTTS – Yes
