Preview: Barcelona vs. Real Betis
Barcelona will be bidding to make it four La Liga victories in a row when they welcome Real Betis to Camp Nou on Saturday evening in one of the standout matches in game week five.
The reigning champions have picked up 10 points from their opening four matches of the season to sit in third position in the table, while Real Betis are seventh, boasting seven points from their first four games.
Barcelona made an underwhelming start to the new La Liga season, playing out a goalless draw with Getafe, but they have since posted three straight wins over Cadiz, Villarreal and Osasuna.
It did appear that the points would be shared with Osasuna before the international break, with Ezequiel Avila cancelling out an opener from Jules Kounde to leave the sides level heading into the latter stages, but Robert Lewandowski came up with the winner in the 86th minute of the contest.
Barcelona are third in the table, two points behind leaders Real Madrid, and Xavi’s side are now preparing for three home matches in a row, two of which are in the league, with Celta Vigo visiting Camp Nou next weekend.
The Catalan giants will also host Royal Antwerp in their Champions League group-stage opener next week, with the club determined to improve in the competition, having failed to make it through the group stage in their last two seasons.
Barcelona signed Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix on loan from Manchester City and Atletico Madrid respectively on transfer deadline day, with the two players making their debuts against Osasuna, and the pair will be looking to contribute to another successful campaign for the club.
Real Betis, meanwhile, will enter this contest off the back of a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano, with Willian Jose netting the only goal of the fixture in the 53rd minute.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side have picked up seven points from their opening four matches, starting with a 2-1 success over Villarreal before drawing with Atletico Madrid and losing to Athletic Bilbao in their next two.
The Seville outfit sit seventh in the table, and they are also preparing for European action next week, facing a trip to Rangers in their opening group-stage fixture in the Europa League.
Real Betis finished sixth in La Liga last season, which directly qualified them for the group stage of the Europa League, and the team will be expecting to be high up the table once again come the end of the campaign.
The Green and Whites have lost their last three league games against Barcelona, but they have a recent Camp Nou success to their name, recording a 1-0 victory at the famous stadium in December 2021.
Barcelona La Liga form:
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Real Betis La Liga form:
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We say: Barcelona 2-1 Real Betis
This has the potential to be a very tricky match for Barcelona, and we would not be surprised to see a draw on Saturday. The Catalan outfit are on a roll at the moment, though, and with Yamal and Felix potentially featuring alongside Lewandowski in an exciting front three, we can see the home side winning this one.