On Friday night, two teams looking to push into upper echelons of La Liga meet at the Estadio de la Ceramica, as Villarreal host Real Betis.
Villarreal (Odds of 19/20 for victory)
As we predicted, Villarreal suffered a defeat against Barcelona last time out, suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat at the Nou Camp. The defeat ended a promising three-game unbeaten run in the Spanish top-flight for the Yellow Submarine. In fact, Javi Calleja’s team had won their two previous games against Leganes and Real Valladolid.
The defeat in Catalonia was not at all surprising, given the form of the reigning champions at the Camp Nou. However, the visitors acquitted themselves well after going two-goals down very early, with veteran playmaker Santi Cazorla one of the best players on the pitch.
The former Arsenal star scored the goal at Barcelona. However, it is striker Gerard Moreno who has been the home sides biggest source of goals so far, as the 27-year-old has now scored five times in six La Liga appearances this season.
Villarreal will be highly confident of bouncing straight back to victory, as they are undefeated in eight home games at the Estadio de La Ceramica in La Liga. The Yellow Submarine have been prolific on home soil in the Spanish top-flight of late, scoring at least twice in six of their last eight league matches on home soil.
Real Betis (Odds of 11/4 for victory)
Unlike Villarreal, Betis head into this clash on the back of a victory. The Andalusians recorded a 3-1 win over Levante, which means they are now unbeaten in four La Liga matches, having recorded two wins and picked up two draws.
Just like the home side, the visitors have a striker who has started the season in good form in the shape of Loren Moron. The 25-year-old has matched opposite counterpart Moreno this season for goals in La Liga.
Considering Real Betis’ recent struggles away from home, they are going to need their in-form star to deliver. In fact, Betis have won just one of their last eight away matches in La Liga, while losing five of their last seven on their travels in the Spanish top-flight.
Their recent away matches in La Liga have been relatively low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in three of their last four matches on the road. The visitors have had defensive troubles on their travels in the last 12 months, keeping just four clean sheets in 17 away matches.
Their recent record against Villarreal does not bode for an improvement on their poor recent away form either, as they have lost four of the last six meetings with the home side in all competitions.
[reviewTableLarge ids=”620,639,642″ title=”Best betting sites to place bet on this game are:”]Prediction
Villarreal did not do badly against Barcelona after a poor start. Their home record is also strong, while Real Betis are poor travellers. We are going for the home win at odds of 19/20, but we think it may be a relatively narrow victory. The over 2.5 goals scored at 8/11 is not great value, but it seems like the most sensible bet on this clash. (All odds taken from Bet365).
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Who will come out on top between Villarreal and Real Betis?
