As both teams tune up for their forthcoming returns to action, Real Betis and Inter Milan convene for a friendly fixture at Estadio Benito Villamarin on Saturday.

A makeshift Betis side did not fare well on their recent South American trip before beating Manchester United last weekend, while Inter - who must wait until 2023 to kickstart their Serie A campaign - have won both of their friendlies over the past fortnight.

Match preview

Nabil Fekir celebrates scoring for Real Betis on November 3, 2022 © Reuters

With the World Cup soon coming to its conclusion, Real Betis stepped up their preparations for La Liga's next chapter by hosting Manchester United last Saturday, and Manuel Pellegrini's side were 1-0 winners thanks to Nabil Fekir's 49th-minute goal.

Though friendly results are best taken with a pinch of salt, such a victory provides Betis with a much-needed fillip, having lost three straight matches last month, when a weakened squad travelled to South America.

Successive defeats to Colo Colo saw them go down 5-0 and then 1-0 to the Chilean champions, after their brief visit to Argentina resulted in a 4-0 reverse to River Plate. Absent players notwithstanding, in the context of a 3-0 loss against Valencia when they were last in league action, turning over United therefore halts a worrying trend.

Los Verdiblancos entered the break sitting sixth in La Liga, and they have also made it through to the knockout phase of the Europa League, so the unflappable Pellegrini will hardly have been too concerned in any case.

After hosting Italian opposition this weekend, Inter's fellow Bergamo club Atalanta will provide their final test before returning to competitive action at the end of December, when they welcome Athletic Bilbao to the Villamarin.

Just a fortnight later, Betis will be off to Saudi Arabia, to take part in the Supercopa de Espana, for which they qualified by lifting the Copa del Rey in April.

Nicolo Barella in action for Inter Milan in May 2022 © Reuters

Putting Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg to the sword last week brought an end to Inter's warm-weather trip to Malta, as they visited the Mediterranean island for a short training camp featuring players not involved in the World Cup.

After an inconsistent start to their 2022-23 campaign, the Nerazzurri's preparations for moving into serious Scudetto contention and progressing further in the Champions League had begun with a comfortable victory over local outfit Gzira United just two days previously.

Though without several stars due to injury or their participation in Qatar, coach Simone Inzaghi took a 27-man party away with him ahead of Serie A's restart in January, when Inter aim to pick up where they left off having defeated Atalanta 3-2 in their final league fixture of 2022.

The squad sent to Valletta comprised several primavera products, but a more familiar XI is now likely to turn out in Andalucia this weekend.

Set to face Reggina and Sassuolo later on in Italy's long winter break, Inter will then return to Serie A duty with a crucial contest against league leaders Napoli early in the new year.

Already 11 points adrift of Luciano Spalletti's pace-setters, they can therefore ill afford a slow start in January - a month in which they will also grapple with arch-rivals Milan for the Supercoppa Italiana.

Real Betis friendly form:

Real Betis form (all competitions):

Inter Milan friendly form:

Inter Milan form (all competitions):

Team News

Belgium's Romelu Lukaku pictured before the match on November 27, 2022 © Reuters

While Romelu Lukaku has returned to full training after Belgium's failed World Cup campaign and a subsequent holiday, Inter's star striker may not feature in Spain, as Simone Inzaghi seeks to protect one of his most prized assets.

Having withdrawn from the Cameroon camp during the group stage, Andre Onana has reported back too, and will now challenge captain Samir Handanovic for a start in goal.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Brozovic, Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa all remain on international duty in Qatar, and should either of the latter pair appear for Argentina on Sunday, the tradition of one Inter player playing in every World Cup final since 1982 will be continued.

Betis have welcomed Youssouf Sabaly and Andres Guardado back into the fold, but Argentine duo German Pezzella and Guido Rodriguez join Portugal's William Carvalho in missing out this weekend.

Though their South American sojourn did not go entirely to plan, the return to fitness of Juanmi following an ankle ligament injury which had sidelined him for three months has surely brightened Mauricio Pellegrini's mood. Against Manchester United, the forward featured for the final half-hour and could now join Alex Moreno on the hosts' left flank.

For all his absentees, Pellegrini will still be able to field a relatively strong starting XI, with Nabil Fekir, Sergio Canales and centre-forward Borja Iglesias all set to play a part.

Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Montoya, Felipe, Ruiz, Moreno; Akouokou, Canales; Henrique, Fekir, Juanmi; Iglesias

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Handanovic; Skriniar, Acerbi, Bastoni; Bellanova, Calhanoglu, Barella, Gagliardini, Gosens; Mkhitaryan; Dzeko

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We say: Real Betis 2-1 Inter Milan

Further ahead in their preparations, and benefiting from home advantage, Betis can be backed to post another morale-boosting victory at the Villamarin. Of course, the priority is for both teams to gain form and fitness, so an open encounter could be the outcome.

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Top tip

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