Villarreal vs Real Betis

Underperforming Villarreal are set to take on fellow mid-table La Liga opposition Real Betis at the Estadio de la Ceramica in a potentially high-scoring encounter.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s last-gasp winner handed Manchester United a 2-1 win over Villarreal in the Champions League midweek, though it looked like the Spaniards were on the brink of playing out another stalemate. Indeed, ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ have established themselves as the ‘stalemate kings’ this season, having drawn five of their first six La Liga fixtures (W1). Unai Emery’s men are one match away from making their longest unbeaten streak in Spain’s top-flight this calendar year. Goals have been at a premium in Villarreal’s early exchanges this season, as four of their six top-flight matches have ended goalless. By contrast, six of their last eight La Liga clashes against Betis have seen over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet (W4, D1, L3).

In the meantime, Betis’s Europa League exploits can encourage the visitors, as their 3-1 away win over Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros in midweek took their unbeaten streak in all competitions six matches (W5, D1). Additionally, ‘Los Verdiblancos’ are enjoying their longest unbeaten La Liga run away from home since 1997, having avoided defeat in their last eight top-flight trips on the trot, 2020/21 included (W3, D5). However, before winning this exact fixture 2-1 back in mid-February, Betis had lost four consecutive La Liga visits to Villarreal, conceding at least twice on each occasion, at an average of 3.00 goals per match. Against this backdrop, Manuel Pellegrini’s men have let in 2+ goals just once in their last 11 league matches on hostile turf.