Spain Round 30

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Barcelona vs Betis Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Barcelona:
Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, I. Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Betis:
Adrian; Sabaly, Bartra, Llorente, Rodriguez; Cardoso, Fornals; Antony, Lo Celso, J. Rodriguez; Hernandez

Barcelona and Betis should play the most interesting clash in La Liga this weekend. The hosts are big favorites, but I believe it won't be easy against in-form Betis. The Catalans are first on the table with 66 points, three more than second-placed Real Madrid and six more than Atletico Madrid on third. As You could see, everything is in their own hands. The fans are surely satisfied and they are dreaming about the treble. “We are allowed to dream”, said coach Hansi Flick after Copa del Rey progression. Barca won 1:0 against Atletico Madrid and secured a final with a 5:4 aggregate win. It will be Real Madrid the opponents in the cup final later this month. The Blaugrana will host Borussia Dortmund next week for the first leg of their quarter-final in the Champions League. The atmosphere in the squad is excellent, but Flick has some injury issues ahead of the busy schedule. He remain without the services of Dani Olmo, Marc Casado, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal and Marc-Andre ter Stegen due to injury problems, while Lamine Yamal is rated as doubtful after suffered a nasty cut to his foot during the Wednesday's match against Atletico. However, the last news from the medical department are optimistic and the 17-year-old should be available for selection.

Betis are sharing the fifth place with Villarreal as both teams have 47 points. They are six points adrift of fourth placed Athletic Bilbao and they will try to secure a Champions League spot for the next season. However, Betis have the toughest challenge this weekend. Bilbao travel to Villarreal and it is clear some of these two teams will drop points. But Betis need to win to stay competitive in the race for the fourth place. Of course, it is easier to say - the Catalans have won the last 9 matches in La Liga. But Betis are also good, they are in series of six victories in La Liga, including a 2:1 win over Real Madrid last month. and a 2:1 win against city rivals Sevilla last weekend. According to many experts, the key reason for success is Antony. When Manchester United loaned Antony to Betis, the fans were skeptical about his quality and possible impact. Most of them described Antony as a struggling winger who had lost his way in the Premier League. The Brazilian had arrived at Old Trafford in 2022 for a staggering £81 million but failed to impress. By the time he left in January, his confidence had evaporated completely. But one man had a clear vision for how to revive Antony’s career. It was Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini. He brought Antony to Betis and his impact is very big. Since joining, Antony has notched four goals and four assists in 12 games across all competitions. But Pellegrini has a big problem ahead of the trip to Barcelona as captain Isco is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards.

Barcelona vs Betis Prediction:

I expect both teams to score in this match. The reason is simple, both teams are in excellent form. Barcelona are in series of 9 victories in La Liga, while Betis have six wins in a row. The players confidence is high in both squads. The absence of Isco is a huge handicap, but I still believe Betis is able to find the back of the net. The last mutual results are with my pick, 11 of the last 14 across all competitions ended with goals on both sides.

Barcelona vs Betis Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.62 with Pinnacle