It will be a crucial weekend for two of the sides hoping to break into the Champions League places in the second half of the season, as Real Betis and Villarreal lock horns on Sunday.
La Liga Preview
The race for Champions League qualification appears to be wide open at this stage, with at least six sides looking to have a fighting chance. Two of the dark horses that are in contention for the ultimate prize will clash this weekend, with Real Betis looking to maintain their recent excellent run of form. Betis come into this clash sitting fifth, but they could potentially break into the top four with victory this weekend.
They have gone four without defeat in La Liga, and have picked up three wins over that period. Their winning run was brought to an end last weekend, as they played out a 0-0 home draw against Real Madrid. However, it was a very strong defensive performance by Betis, and highlights just how far they have come this term.
Villarreal will have home advantage this weekend, but they also aren’t out of the Champions League race. They currently sit sixth in the standings, but they are four points off Betis in the table. They come into this fixture in excellent recent form, as they have picked up victories in each of their previous two matches. It has been an excellent response after losing three on the bounce.
Villarreal saved their best attacking play for late in the day in their previous fixture, as they scored twice in the final 15 minutes to secure a 2-0 away win against Almeria. Gerard Moreno opened the scoring, before Jose Morales wrapped up the win in the 88th minute.
Villarreal vs Real Betis Head to Head
Real Betis picked up a 1-0 win in the previous meeting between the sides this term. That win ended a two-game winning run in this fixture for Villarreal, as they won both clashes last season 2-0. However, both teams have scored in just one of the previous four meetings between the sides.
Villarreal vs Real Betis Prediction
Both of these sides come into this fixture in excellent recent form, and that makes it a compelling matchup in La Liga. However, we are tempted to side with the visitors, who have appeared just slightly more defensively solid in recent weeks in the Spanish top flight.
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