A late penalty from Borja Iglesias gave Real Betis a 1:0 victory over Getafe on Sunday and ended their three-match losing streak. This success revived hopes of reaching the top four for the first time since the 2004/05 season. In addition, Manuel Pellegrini’s wards remain only three points from the top four, but they will have to solve the problem of inconsistent form in the Spanish championship. Since mid-September, the hosts have not won two consecutive victories in La Liga. There are also problems at home, where the team has canceled out a brilliant start and the arrival of Barcelona is unlikely to bring the expected success, given that Beticos have not been able to win at home since March 2008. For 18 rounds of the current championship, Sevilla has nine victories and four peaceful outcomes, which corresponds to 31 points and sixth position in the standings. The line of attack looks very weak, which differed only 20 times. It is impossible not to recall that in January the opponents held a match in Saudi Arabia, in which the Beticos lost in the Super Cup only in a penalty shootout. Today will not be able to take part in the game Akuoka, Kamaras, Cruz and Sabalia, who has a knee injury.
Today’s guests will try to extend the series of successful fights in Seville, especially since there is a recipe for victory, which the Catalans confirmed in January in Saudi Arabia, where they won the Spanish Super Cup for the 14th time. This momentum allowed them to beat Girona 1:0 at the weekend and beat Real Sociedad 1:0 in the Copa del Rey last week. The Blue Garnet’s away form is also impressive. The guests have won eight of the last nine away matches, while the only misfire occurred in Madrid with Real Madrid (1:3). In addition, four of the last five away victories were scored with a score 1:0, which, despite a powerful defensive line, casts doubt on the attacking potential of Xavi’s charges. In addition, the last time Barca won three matches in a row with one strike was in 1996. In this fight only Dembele, who has a muscle injury, will not be able to help his team.