Match Result: Real Betis v Barcelona
Barcelona might be enjoying a 100% record at the Nou Camp this season although it's been a different matter on the road. Not only have the Catalan Giants been beaten by Chelsea and Bayern Munich away from home in the Champions League, they have also lost at Girona. There are only four La Liga wins in seven road games, with further defeats to Mallorca and Sociedad.
Therefore, the latest bookmaker odds show Barcelona are favourites at 1.90 to land a victory although the odds still show it's a close game. The draw is 3.60 while the home team are 4.50 to land a win, with all three results in play. Barcelona might be top of the pile when it comes to La Liga although Betis will surely push them close.
The Green and Whites have won six and drawn six of their fourteen domestic fixtures so far. The only two losses have been at the Estadio de La Cartuja against Alaves and Villarreal. They've been superb on their travels, with Osasuna, Rayo Vallecano, Almeria, Levante and Valencia all beaten. There has also been draws against Atletico Madrid and Getafe, with the latter being the most recent clash.
Barcelona have collected maximum points in their seven home La Liga clashes so far this season. Hansi Flick has been ultra-demanding of his team when playing at the Nou Camp and they have notched a tally of twenty-five goals. However, things have been different away from home. Flick was sacked as the Germany manager and he's trying to galvanise the Barcelona troops in order that they can challenge for the title.
Goals Under/Over
Over 2.5 Goals has been a feature of recent Barcelona matches. In their seven away La Liga games, there has been three or more goals scored on every single occasion. Perhaps the defence for the Catalan Giants leaves a lot to be desired although they continue to score for fun, with twenty-one goals notched on their travels from seven encounters.
Real Betis have tended to have lower scoring games on home soil although there have still been Over 2.5 Goals in four of their seven domestic home clashes. The games that dipped below the 2.5 goal threshold were against Alaves, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. However, there were 3-2 defeats at the hands of Villarreal and Valencia. It might surprise you to know that Getafe were also able to win 4-1 on their latest home outing.
BTTS
BTTS Yes is regarded as the most likely outcome in this La Liga clash. There are many reasons to get behind this option, with Barcelona having only managed one clean sheet in seven away games, with seven La Liga goals shipped on the road. That includes four at Girona, two at Mallorca and a single goal at Sociedad. There was even a goal conceded at Real Betis.
The opposition have shown a decent ability to find the net in home matches. Six have been scored against Getafe, Levante, Alaves and Villarreal, with further home encounters against Atletico Madrid, Getafe and Real Madrid not producing a goal. They clearly find it easy to score against the lower teams although the Barcelona defence is hardly cast iron when away from the Nou Camp.
First Goalscorer
There are plenty of attacking options for Barcelona and Robert Lewandowski continues to lead the line for his team. The Poland international has recently been showing signs that he's close to hitting top form and he managed to score away to Chelsea in a losing cause. Previously to that, Lewandowski managed to find the net at Girona and there had been a brace scored at Mallorca.
You might argue that Raphinha is in better form than his Polish colleague at the moment. The Brazilian star scored the opener at Bayern Munich and he had also been on target for his country in a recent 6-0 international thrashing of Bolivia. It's fourteen and counting for the season and the former Leeds United player is enjoying playing for his team.
As for Real Betis, Juanmi has got his name on the scoresheet on four occasions this term. The Spanish attacker notched against Valencia and there was a double scored at Osasuna which came after he opened the scoring at Rayo Vallecano. Borja Iglesias is another player capable of scoring against Barcelona and we know how devastating he can be.