Barcelona will be looking to return to winning ways in La Liga when they face top-four challengers Real Betis at home on Saturday night.
Team Form
Barcelona
The team has had a few ups and downs lately, winning only one of their last five games in all competitions, including just five points from the last 12 available in the league.
Despite their recent struggles, Barcelona still holds a comfortable lead at the top of the La Liga table, 11 points ahead of Real Madrid with only seven games left.
Although their exit from the Copa del Rey and Europe was disappointing, winning the league title would still be a positive outcome for the Catalan outfit this season.
Their recent win against in-form Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou was a great boost, but unfortunately, they couldn’t maintain the momentum, suffering a 2-1 loss to Rayo on Wednesday evening. With only the league to focus on, the team hopes to bounce back and finish the season strongly.
Barcelona La Liga Form: W D D W L
Real Betis
Manuel Pellegrini’s side has struggled in recent weeks, only winning one of their last five league matches and losing to Atletico, Cadiz, and Osasuna.
Real Betis managed to secure a goalless draw against Real Sociedad on Tuesday night, but the result was more favourable for their opponents, who remain in fourth place with a six-point lead over Pellegrini’s team in fifth.
Real Betis faces a tough challenge in their next two away games against Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao before returning to home soil to take on Rayo Vallecano in the middle of next month.
To have any chance of securing a top-four finish for the first time since 2005, the Green and Whites will need consistency in their performances during the last stages of the season.
Real Betis La Liga Form: L L W L D
Squad Report
Barcelona
The team could receive a boost as Ousmane Dembele and Andreas Christensen are close to returning from their injuries and could feature in the squad this weekend.
In addition, Sergio Busquets will return to the squad after serving his suspension, which caused him to miss the team’s previous game against Rayo.
However, Sergi Roberto may struggle to feature in the season’s remaining games due to a hamstring injury.
Real Betis
The team is set to be without four players who were also missing during their previous match against Real Sociedad.
Victor Ruiz, Juanmi, Youssouf Sabaly, and Nabil Fekir are all expected to be unavailable for the upcoming game.
Barcelona’s expected starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Balde, Kounde, Araujo, Alba; F de Jong, Busquets, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Gavi
Real Betis’ expected starting lineup:
Silva; Ruibal, Felipe, Pezzella, Miranda; Rodriguez, Carvalho; Perez, Canales, Henrique; Iglesias
Head to Head
The two teams have played against each other 44 times, with Barcelona winning 27 of those matches. Real Betis has managed to win 9 matches, while 8 matches have ended in a draw.
Time, Date & Venue
Date: Saturday, April 29
Time: 08:00 pm, BST
Venue: Spotify Camp Nou, Barcelona
Prediction
Barcelona will be determined to bounce back from their recent loss and maintain their lead at the top of the table. With key players returning from injury and suspension, they will be a formidable force on the pitch.
