Two teams with ambitions of top-four finishes in La Liga this season will lock horns on Sunday evening, with Real Betis welcoming Villarreal to Estadio Benito Villamarin.
Real Betis are currently fourth in the table, boasting nine points from their opening four matches, while Villarreal are third, having collected 10 points from their first four games of the campaign.
Match preview
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Real Betis had a 100% record after three matches of the new La Liga season, beating Elche 3-0, Mallorca 2-1 and Osasuna 1-0, but they suffered a 2-1 loss to the champions Real Madrid at Bernabeu last time out.
A total of nine points from four matches has left the Green and Whites in fourth spot in the table, while they started their Europa League campaign on Thursday evening with a win, netting two unanswered goals against HJK in Helsinki, with Willian Jose scoring a brace.
Manuel Pellegrini's side finished fifth in La Liga last season, just five points behind fourth-placed Sevilla, who have really struggled in the early stages of this campaign.
Matches against the likes of Villarreal could be crucial in terms of a top-four challenge, while Real Sociedad will also expect to be up there this season in terms of the European positions.
Real Betis lost both league games against Villarreal last season without scoring a goal, while they have not overcome the Yellow Submarine in front of their own supporters since April 2019.
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Villarreal, meanwhile, were also in European action on Thursday evening, recording a 4-3 victory over Lech Poznan in their Europa Conference League opener.
Unai Emery's side were actually 1-0 behind inside two minutes before scoring three times to lead 3-1; Poznan answered back to level at 3-3 just past the hour, but Francis Coquelin came up with an 89th-minute winner for the La Liga outfit in what was a seven-goal thriller.
Villarreal have also impressed in La Liga this season, picking up 10 points from their four matches, which has left them in third spot in the table, just two points behind champions and early leaders Real Madrid.
The Yellow Submarine opened their 2022-23 campaign with back-to-back wins over Real Valladolid and Atletico Madrid, scoring five times in the process, before being held at Getafe at the end of August.
Villarreal returned to winning ways in the league last weekend, though, recording a 4-0 victory over Elche, with Gerard Moreno, Giovani Lo Celso, Coquelin and Jose Luis Morales all on the scoresheet.
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Team News
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Real Betis will be without the services of Victor Camarasa and William Carvalho this weekend through injury, while German Pezzella is out of the contest through suspension.
There will be wholesale changes from the side that started against HJK in Europe, with Luis Felipe, Sergio Canales, Andres Guardado, Guido Rodriguez, Rui Silva, Borja Iglesias, Edgar Gonzalez and Alex Moreno all set to return.
Nabil Fekir will be missing due to a thigh problem, though, while the club will also need to make a check on Juanmi due to a problem that he picked up in Europe, so Rodri and Joaquin could both feature in the XI.
As for Villarreal, Alberto Moreno remains on the sidelines with a knee problem, while Arnaut Danjuma and Juan Foyth are also expected to miss out once again.
There will be a number of changes from the side that started in Europe on Thursday, with Gerard Moreno, Dani Parejo, Kiko Femenia, Yeremi Pino, Lo Celso, Pau Torres and Etienne Capoue all in line to return.
Geronimo Rulli will also be back between the sticks, with both managers preparing to ring the changes from their European commitments on Thursday night.
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Ruibal, Felipe, Gonzalez, Moreno; Rodriguez, Guardado; Canales, Joaquin, Rodri; Iglesias
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Rulli; Femenia, Albiol, Torres, Pedraza; Parejo, Lo Celso, Capoue; Morales, G Moreno, Pino
We say: Real Betis 1-1 Villarreal
There is not an awful lot between these two sides in terms of quality, but Real Betis are likely to be missing some important players this weekend, which would certainly help Villarreal. That said, we are finding it difficult to separate the two teams and have had to settle on a low-scoring draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
