Real Betis will be bidding to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they welcome Celta Vigo to Estadio Benito Villamarin on Saturday evening.
Manuel Pellegrini's side will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 home defeat to Barcelona on Wednesday, while Celta recorded a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
Match preview
© Reuters
Real Betis have now lost four of their last five matches in all competitions during a difficult run, including a 2-1 home reverse to Barcelona in La Liga on Wednesday, with second-half goals from Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski proving to be enough for the visitors to triumph.
Pellegrini's team also lost at Espanyol in the league on January 21, while they were beaten on penalties by Barcelona and Osasuna in back-to-back matches in the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey respectively.
The Green and Whites are still enjoying a strong La Liga campaign, though, picking up 31 points from 19 matches courtesy of a record of nine wins, four draws and six defeats.
El Glorioso are currently sixth in the table, just three points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, and they will be looking to secure a healthy points return from their next four games against Celta, Almeria, Real Valladolid and Elche before hosting Real Madrid at the start of March.
Real Betis have not finished in La Liga's top four since the 2004-05 campaign, so it would be some achievement if Pellegrini was able to guide the side to a Champions League spot this term.
© Reuters
Celta, meanwhile, will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 victory over Athletic on Sunday, with Iago Aspas netting the only goal of the match in the 71st minute.
The result moved the Sky Blues out of the bottom three and into 16th, but they are only one point ahead of 18th-placed Cadiz, with a whole host of sides currently in the relegation mix.
Celta have only actually lost one of their last six league matches, but Carlos Carvalhal's side have two tough matches after this one, facing Atletico at home and Real Sociedad on their travels.
The Vigo outfit have been in La Liga for the last 11 seasons, so it would certainly be a surprise if they were relegated from the top flight this term.
Celta have only picked up seven points from their nine away league games this season, but they did beat Real Betis 1-0 in the reverse fixture earlier this term, while the strugglers are unbeaten against Saturday's opponents in La Liga since May 2021, picking up seven points from their last three encounters.
Team News
© Reuters
Real Betis will again be missing Juan Cruz due to a hamstring problem, while William Carvalho is suspended following his red card against Barcelona on Wednesday night.
There are not expected to be any major changes from the side that started against the league leaders, with Borja Iglesias again set to lead the line with support from Luiz Henrique, Nabil Fekir and Sergio Canales.
Andres Guardado is likely to replace Carvalho in central midfield, with Willian Jose, Juanmi and Rodri again set to start among the substitutes for the home side in this match.
Ayoze Perez moved to Real Betis on loan from Leicester City on transfer deadline day, and the 29-year-old will be in contention to make his debut in this match.
Celta, meanwhile, have had relatively few fitness problems this season, and Carvalhal is again expected to have a fully-fit squad to choose from on Saturday night.
There were two half-time changes against Athletic, with Fran Beltran and Jorgen Strand Larsen entering the field, and it would not be a shock to see both players feature in the first XI here.
Larsen is expected to join Aspas in the final third of the field, while Beltran could replace Renato Tapia in the middle of the park for the visitors.
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Ruibal, Pezzella, Felipe, Abner; Guardado, Rodriguez; Henrique, Fekir, Canales; Iglesias
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Marchesin; Mingueza, Aidoo, Nunez, Galan; Perez, Beltran, Rodriguez, De la Torre; Larsen, Aspas
We say: Real Betis 1-0 Celta Vigo
Celta will certainly be the fresher of the two sides entering this match, and they will fancy their chances of making it a difficult game for the hosts. Real Betis have generally been quite strong at home this term, though, picking up 17 points from nine matches, and Pellegrini's side will be desperate to bounce back from their loss to Barcelona, so we have settled on a low-scoring home success.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
