Barcelona vs Real Betis

Seventh-placed Barcelona and fifth-placed Real Betis will exchange tackles at Camp Nou in a high-stake La Liga affair.

Barring a 4-3 reverse in a seven-goal thriller back in November 2018, Barcelona have avoided defeat in 19 of their last 20 La Liga meetings with Betis (W16, D3). What’s more, the Catalan juggernauts have found the net in each of their previous 31 top-flight H2Hs at Camp Nou, netting a total of 94 (3.0 per game on average). That’s music to Xavi Hernandez’s ears as the new manager looks to navigate the ‘Blaugrana’ to three consecutive La Liga victories for the first time this season. Indeed, Barca have blown hot and cold this season, with an indifferent form in their last three La Liga home games (W1, D1, L1) probably best illustrating their lackluster start to the season. Additionally, they scored precisely once in each of those three outings, well below Barcelona’s high standards.

On the other hand, Betis have enjoyed an upturn in form ahead of this round, going from back-to-back La Liga defeats ‘to nil,’ to a brace of league wins by a 2+ goal margin each. The visitors will have to find their feet at the back to bolster their chances of winning three successive league games for the second time this season, as they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet against Barcelona in La Liga since 2002! But consistency hasn’t been Betis’ strong suit on the road this term, with ‘Los Verdiblancos’ alternating between victory and defeat across their last five La Liga travels (W3, L2). With four of those five matches won/lost witnessing the winner on the day register a shutout, scoring first could be of utmost importance at Camp Nou.