Preview: Real Betis vs Bournemouth - prediction, team news, lineups

Both sides arriving in impressive preseason form, Real Betis and Bournemouth meet at the Estadio La Cartuja on Saturday evening in a friendly that pits both sides against each other ahead of the new campaign.

Betis head into the match having beaten Premier League champions Arsenal in their most recent outing, while Bournemouth arrive having hammered Serie A side Genoa 10-1 just days ago.

Match preview

Real Betis kicked off their preseason preparations with a 3-0 victory and have not looked back since, winning five of their six friendly fixtures so far with their only defeat coming in a 1-0 loss to Granada in that run.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side are building towards what promises to be an exciting campaign, having finished fifth in LaLiga last season to secure their return to the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2005-06, a landmark achievement.

Last season was genuinely spectacular for Betis beyond the league finish alone, with the side reaching the quarter-finals of both the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Europa League - a double cup run in which players such as Antony and Pablo Fornals proved crucial to their progress.

The club have made changes to their squad this summer, with Cedric Bakambu, Chimy Avila and Ricardo Rodriguez all departing following the expiration of their contracts, while Pau Lopez has moved to Andorra.

Goalkeeper Diego Conde has arrived on loan from Villarreal as the primary backup between the sticks, though his preseason has already been disrupted.

Their most recent friendly brought a 3-1 victory over Premier League champions Arsenal on Wednesday.

Pellegrini's side has considerable confidence in his attacking quality ahead of their LaLiga opener against Real Sociedad on August 21.

Bournemouth arrive at the Estadio La Cartuja in equally eye-catching form, having won all three of their preseason fixtures while scoring at least four goals in every game.

The visitors' most recent game was a stunning all-out 10-1 demolition of Serie A side Genoa.

Alex Scott and Justin Kluivert each scored twice in that victory, with Kluivert’s brace coming from the penalty spot, while Adrien Truffert, David Brooks, Daniel Jebbison, Malcolm Dacosta Gonzalez and Enes Unal also contributed to a remarkable scoreline that announced Marco Rose’s side as a genuine attacking force this preseason.

That result followed a 4-1 win over St Pauli and a 5-2 victory against Augsburg, and the consistency of Bournemouth’s attacking output across all three fixtures suggests Rose is implementing his philosophy with considerable success in the early stages of preseason.

Bournemouth finished sixth in the Premier League last season under Andoni Iraola, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League for the first time in the club’s history.

Iraola has since departed the club, and Rose has taken charge, with the German coach tasked with building on that historic foundation while imposing his own ideas on a squad that finished the previous campaign in excellent shape.

Real Betis friendlies form:

Bournemouth friendlies form:

W W W

Team News

Real Betis are without Diego Conde for Saturday’s match after the goalkeeper who arrived on loan from Villarreal this summer suffered a shoulder injury following a mid-air collision with teammate Diego Llorente in training.

Ismael Barea suffered an ACL rupture earlier this year and is not expected to return to action until 2027, while Abde Ezzalzouli continues his recovery from the knee injury he sustained shortly before the World Cup.

Gonzalo Petit and Iker Losada did not travel for the Arsenal game and remain absent as the club looks to engineer transfers for both players ahead of the window closing.

Antony, Isco and Llorente all came off the bench against Arsenal and could be used in a similar capacity on Saturday, with Pellegrini rotating his options across the 90 minutes.

For Bournemouth, Julian Araujo has undergone surgery on his left thigh after sustaining a muscle injury during the club’s preseason tour in Austria and will be sidelined for a significant period.

Eli Junior Kroupi is facing three to four months out with a foot injury also sustained in Austria, while young centre-back Veljko Milosavljevic is facing a semi-long-term spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury ahead of the Under-19 European Championships.

Julio Soler has returned to full training after recovering from a severe hamstring injury that kept him out for roughly three months, though his involvement on Saturday remains uncertain.

Real Betis possible starting lineup:

Valles; Bellerin, Bartra, Natan, Fran Garcia; Bernal, Fornals, Gnangoro; Riquelme, Pablo Garcia, Deossa

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:

Dennis; Truffert, Silva, Diakite, Aarons; Kluivert, Scott, Toth, Doak; Evanilson, Rayan

We say: Real Betis 2-2 Bournemouth

Two sides in prolific attacking form and both carrying genuine firepower across the pitch make a high-scoring draw the most appealing prediction for Saturday evening, with neither manager likely to prioritise defensive solidity over attacking expression in a preseason fixture.

A share of the spoils in an open, entertaining contest looks the most likely outcome at the Estadio La Cartuja.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.