Real Betis vs Real Sociedad

An evenly-contested La Liga top-four race picks up the steam as Real Betis and Real Sociedad go head-to-head at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.

Real Betis’ goal-glutted 3-2 defeat at Osasuna at the weekend marked their first loss in 11 H2Hs, but more importantly, widened the gap between them and fourth-placed Real Sociedad to six points. Betis’ form has taken a downward turn at a significant stage of the top-four run-in, as they’ve lost three of their last four league matches (W1). With that in mind, Manuel Pellegrini’s men will relish the impending home return, considering they’ve clocked three triumphs in their five most recent La Liga outings at the Benito Villamarin (D1, L1), conceding under 1.5 goals on four occasions. On top of that, ‘Los Verdiblancos’ have gone unbeaten in their last four top-flight encounters against Sociedad (W2, D2), including a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture in San Sebastian.

That result means Real Sociedad have now failed to get on the scoresheet in their last four competitive meetings with Betis, losing three of them by multi-goal margins (D1). In La Liga alone, Imanol Alguacil’s men have drawn a blank on four of their last five visits to the Benito Villamarin (D1, L3), except for a thumping 3-0 win in October 2020. Sociedad’s recent travel sickness implies they’re unlikely to overcome their ‘Villamarin jinx,’ with ‘La Real’ going winless in their last four away league matches (D1, L3), failing to find the net in all three defeats in this run. By contrast, they have emerged victorious on their three most recent visits to Andalusian sides in La Liga and could make it four in a row for only the second time in the club’s history.