Real Betis vs Atletico Madrid
They are locked on 20 points in fifth and fourth separated by a single goal and the winner of the La Liga game between Real Betis vs Atletico Madrid will finish the weekend happily in the Champions League places.
Neither team has been firing on all cylinders in recent weeks. Diego Simeone’s Atleti come into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw at home to Rayo Vallecano, while Betis drew 0-0 away to Cadiz and these results left them both eight points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis would be happy with a top four place, but Atletico fans’ memory of their 2021 La Liga triumph is still fresh in their minds and they would dearly love to gatecrash the El Clasico pair.
Diego Simeone has managed Los Rojiblancos since 2011 and has turned the club into one of the hardest to beat in Europe, and the La Liga 2022 betting odds reckon we’re in for a tight contest at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.
Talking Points
Betis looking for a reboot
Five points from the last four games has seen Real Betis drift out of the top four after a highly impressive start. One win, one defeat, and two draws is mid-table form and Los Verdiblancos will be keen to replicate their European form back in Spain.
Pellegrini’s side has dominated Europa League Group C with three wins and a draw. But Real Betis’ 3-1 win over Almeria was their first league win in over a month and having taken a step forward they slipped back with a draw against strugglers Cadiz.
That disappointment was compounded when influential midfielder Sergio Canales picked up a second yellow card in the 98th minute, which means he won’t be on the pitch to face Atletico.
Los Verdiblancos are heavily reliant on star striker Borja Iglesias who has scored seven goals and made three assists, and with Juanmi injured, he will probably start up front with Alex Moreno.
And in the absence of Canales, more responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Portuguese midfielder William Carvalho who scored in last weekend’s victory over Almeria. As a box-to-box player, he can exert the energy Betis need to rise to this challenge.
At the back, Argentine defender German Pezzella will put his body in the way of anything Atleti can throw at the hosts. He has already picked up two red cards and isn’t afraid to get involved.
Atleti looking for killer instinct
Atletico came through a tough test away to Athletic Bilbao last week with a 1-0 win thanks to an Antoine Griezmann goal, but they too took a step back against Vallecano when they conceded an injury time equaliser after Griezmann teed up Alvaro Morata in the 20th minute.
Atleti had some opportunities to kill the game off but Angel Correa, Morata, and Matheus Cunha all missed their chances.
It looked like we’d see another “Simeone 1-0” but Atletico Madrid’s wastefulness came home to roost when centre-back Jose Gimenez handled in the penalty area and Radamel Falcao slammed home the spot kick.
Two more points would have lifted Atleti to third place, but they have another chance on Sunday and Simeone is asking his players to show more bravery in the key moments, saying: “The idea is to work, to have security, to have confidence, and have enough personality so that in decisive moments we can be effective. You have to work, to improve, because it is a decisive tool.”
There is no lack of ability in this side and they have some serious firepower that can generate multiple La Liga 2022 highlights. Alvaro Morata has five league goals and Antoine Griezmann is happy again having signed for the club permanently.
But Los Rojiblancos want to see more from Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who has put in a series of lacklustre performances and has been linked with a summer move to AC Milan.
After an impressive El Clasico win last week, Real Madrid have gone top of La Liga and, if Atleti are to close the gap on the top two, then they need all their big players to perform – De Paul included – and they need the killer instinct.
History
Atleti have had the better of the head-to-heads, winning 25 of the last 51 while there have been 14 draws and Betis have come out on top 12 times.
Last season, Simeone’s men did a comfortable double over these opponents, winning 3-1 in Seville after a 3-0 victory at the Wanda Metropolitano earlier in the campaign.
Los Rojiblancos have won three, drawn two, and lost one of the last six games while Betis have won two, drawn three, and lost one.
Real Betis have won all five of their league games at the Benito Villamarin while Atletico Madrid have won four and drawn one on the road.
Betting Tip
With Betis at SBOTOP odds of 3.01, Atleti at 2.26, and with the draw at 3.06, this is a tight game to call.
And I don’t think we’ll see a goal fest. Four of Betis’ last six games have yielded two goals or fewer while Atleti have racked up five from six with no more than two.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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