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

Espanyol's search for their first win of 2026 will continue on Saturday, with the Catalan outfit resuming their La Liga campaign away to Real Betis.

The visitors are currently 11th in the La Liga table, four points behind sixth-placed Celta Vigo, while Real Betis are fifth, three points ahead of the team directly below them.

Match preview

Real Betis are going for glory in the Europa League this season, with Manuel Pellegrini's side booking their spot in the quarter-finals of the competition courtesy of a 4-0 win over Panathinaikos in the second leg of their last-16 clash on March 19.

The Seville outfit will tackle Braga in the final eight, with the first leg in Portugal taking place next week, but their current focus is on La Liga, and they entered the March international break off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Athletic Bilbao.

Pellegrini's side have a record of 11 wins, 11 draws and seven defeats from their 29 league matches this season, with 44 points leaving them in fifth, 13 points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid and three clear of Celta Vigo in sixth.

Real Betis have picked up 25 points from their 14 home league matches this season, only suffering three defeats in front of their own supporters.

Earlier this season, El Glorioso recorded a 2-1 victory in the reverse match, and they are actually currently on a four-game winning run against Espanyol.

Espanyol have only managed to beat Real Betis once since October 2017, while their last success over the Seville outfit away from home was back in October 2016.

The Catalan team were very impressive in the first half of the 2025-26 campaign, but it has been a disastrous 2026, having failed to record a single win.

Espanyol's last success was a 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao on December 22; since then, they have played 12 times in Spain's top flight, losing eight and drawing four.

Unsurprisingly, that poor form has seen them drop away from the European spots, although Manolo Gonzalez's side are still in the race for the top six, currently sitting 11th, four points behind sixth-placed Celta Vigo with nine games left to play.

The White and Blues entered the March international break off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Getafe, while their last away match ended in a 2-1 loss to Mallorca.

Real Betis La Liga form:

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Real Betis form (all competitions):

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Espanyol La Liga form:

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Team News

Real Betis will be without the services of Isco and Angel Ortiz due to injury, while Giovani Lo Celso remains a doubt for the Seville outfit this weekend.

Antony is the team's leading goalscorer this season, netting 12 times in all competitions, and there will be another start down the right for the former Manchester United attacker.

Cucho Hernandez has also had a strong scoring campaign, finding the back of the net on 11 occasions, and the 26-year-old will lead the line, with Cedric Bakambu on the bench.

As for Espanyol, Javi Puado is a long-term absentee for the Catalan team, while Fernando Calero faces a late fitness test before his availability can be determined.

The visitors will also be without the services of Charles Pickel through suspension.

Kike Garcia is Espanyol's leading goalscorer this season, scoring eight times, and the 36-year-old is expected to be given the nod over Roberto Fernandez in the final third of the field.

Real Betis possible starting lineup:

Lopez; Bellerin, Llorente, Natan, Rodriguez; Antony, Fornals, Roca, Amrabat, Ezzalzouli; Hernandez

Espanyol possible starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Riedel, Cabrera, Romero; Lozano, Zarate; Dolan, Exposito, Terrats; Garcia

We say: Real Betis 2-0 Espanyol

Espanyol's winless run will come to an end at some stage, but we are not expecting that to be the case this weekend; Real Betis are a strong outfit, and we are finding it very difficult to predict anything other than a win for the Seville team.

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