Real Betis will be bidding to post a fifth straight win in La Liga when they continue their season away to Leganes on Sunday afternoon.
Manuel Pellegrini's side have collected 12 points from the last available 12 to rise into sixth spot in the La Liga table, four points ahead of seventh-placed Mallorca, while Leganes are 17th, just one point outside of the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Leganes boast a record of six wins, nine draws and 12 defeats from their 27 league matches this season, with a total of 27 points leaving them in 17th spot in the table, just one point outside of the relegation zone.
Borja Jimenez's side are the reigning Segunda Division champions, and they are bidding to make it successive campaigns in the top flight of Spanish football for the first time since 2020.
Leganes beat Getafe 1-0 in their last match in front of their own supporters on March 2, but they will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Celta Vigo, with their struggles on their travels continuing.
El Lega have managed to pick up 17 points from their 13 league games on home soil this season, and they will be coming up against a Real Betis side that have been beaten six times on their travels in the league this season.
Leganes were last victorious over Real Betis in February 2019, with that success coming on home soil, but they were beaten 2-0 when the two teams locked horns for the reverse game earlier this season.
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Real Betis, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 4-0 victory over Vitoria de Guimaraes in the second leg of their last-16 Conference League clash, with the Seville outfit breezing into the quarter-finals of the competition.
Pellegrini's side are unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions, while they have won their last four in La Liga, beating Real Sociedad, Getafe, Real Madrid and Las Palmas during an excellent run.
The Green and Whites have picked up 41 points from their 27 league matches this season, which has left them in sixth spot in the table, four points ahead of seventh-placed Mallorca and just three points from Villarreal in fifth.
Real Betis have collected the majority of their points on home soil this season, with the team only managing to triumph in four of their 13 away league matches during the 2024-25 campaign.
Pellegrini's team are hitting top form at just the right stage of the season, though, and the visitors will be confident of posting a 12th La Liga victory of the season against their relegation-threatened opponents.
Team News
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Leganes will again be missing Enric Franquesa due to a long-term knee problem, but Munir El Haddadi will be back in the squad after a recent suspension.
Head coach Jimenez will have been pleased with aspects of his side's performance against Celta, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field here, with Diego Garcia set to continue at centre-forward.
Jorge Saenz replaced Matija Nastasic off the bench against Celta, but the latter is expected to be available, while Oscar Rodriguez and Juan Cruz are also set to feature in the XI.
As for Real Betis, there will be changes from the side that started against Vitoria in the Conference League, with Natan, Adrian and Youssouf Sabaly all expected to be in the side.
However, Cedric Bakambu's brace in the European fixture could see the striker keep hold of his starting role on Sunday afternoon.
The visitors are still without the services of Marc Roca, Giovani Lo Celso and William Carvalho through injury, while Johnny Cardoso will be suspended this weekend, opening the door for Sergi Altimira to feature in the middle of midfield.
Leganes possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Rosier, Gonzalez, Nastasic, Tapia, Hernandez; Cruz, Neyou, Cisse, O Rodriguez; D Garcia
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Adrian; Sabaly, Llorente, Natan, Rodriguez; Fornals, Altimira; Antony, Isco, J Rodriguez; Bakambu
We say: Leganes 0-1 Real Betis
Real Betis are absolutely flying at the moment, and we are backing them to secure another win here; Leganes are capable of making it a tricky match for the Seville club, but Pellegrini's side have enough quality to navigate their way to all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
