La Liga: Points at a Premium for Valencia and Real Betis

Valencia vs Real Betis

Real Betis head to the Mestalla Stadium for a crunch match with Valencia on Thursday, and it’s a game both teams need to win. 

This La Liga game pits together two sides with serious ambitions but Los Verdiblancos are ahead of their hosts and have been for some time.

Betis sit in fourth place in the league table and need a victory to stay there, and are thriving in European competition, while Los Che are in 11^th and seven points away from sixth.        

The Mestalla is a notoriously difficult place to play. The Stadium is a white-hot cauldron of passion which can work in the favour of Valencia or their visitors, depending how the game is going. And the La Liga 2022 betting odds back a tight game with the hosts as slight favourites to take all three points.    

Both come into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw, Valencia away to Real Sociedad and Real Betis at home to Sevilla.  

Talking Points

Cavani doubtful for Valencia

This has been a frustrating first third of the campaign for Valencia fans who see their team in the bottom half of the table after a mixed set of results.

Los Che appointed Gennaro Gattuso, the uncompromising Italian boss who has managed Serie A giants AC Milan and Napoli in recent seasons. They were going well in September with big home wins against Getafe and Celta Vigo but are now without a victory in five.    

The attack has been leaning on the experience and quality of Uruguayan hitman Edinson Cavani who has scored four goals in seven games, but the former PSG striker has struggled to put a run of games together, missing the first three of the campaign and he has completed 90 minutes just once all season.

But he’s a proven goal scorer, so when he limped off after 18 minutes of Valencia’s recent 1-0 defeat to Barcelona, it was another blow to Gattuso.

Cavani suffered an ankle strain which kept him out of Los Che’s draw with Sociedad and is now concentrating on recovering in time for the World Cup in two weeks time.  

In the meantime, Justin Kluivert – on loan from Roma – is set to start alongside Atletico loanee Samuel Lino in attack.  

And Real Betis are short up front too

Manuel Pellegrini’ side faced Sevilla on the back of three wins in all competitions and with a chance to cement their top four position, but a 1-1 stalemate left Los Verdiblancos just a single point above Osasuna and Real Sociedad in the fifth and sixth places.

Head coach Manuel Pellegrini was a highly frustrated man after his side threw away a golden opportunity, mainly through ill discipline.

Los Verdiblancos had been handed a one-man advantage and a goal lead after Sevilla’s Gonzalo Montiel was sent off and Jesus Navas put through his own goal before half time.

But Betis began to implode even before the break as Nabil Fekir was sent off for violent conduct. And just four minutes after half time, Borja Iglesias followed him down the tunnel for a nasty foul on Joan Jordan.

It looked like Betis would hold out for three big points, but two of them went up in smoke when Nemanja Gudelj hit a beauty from distance into the top corner to hand Sevilla a share of the spoils. 

Iglesias is a big miss since he’s top scoring with eight goals, and he scored an injury time winner in Betis’ recent clash with Real Sociedad.

And Pellegrini needs his players to keep cool as defender German Pezzella has already picked up two red cards and Betis need to finish this game with 11 on the pitch.  

History

Los Ches have won 27 of the last 53 meetings with Betis while Los Verdiblancos have won 15 and there have been 11 draws.

But Real Betis won this fixture 3-0 last May, while also putting Valencia out of the Copa del Rey and thumping them 4-1 in Seville earlier in the 2021/22 league campaign. 

Betis have won three of the last six games in all competitions, while Valencia have won just one, drawn three, and lost two and they are without a win in the last five.  

Betting Tip

Los Che are favourites to win this match at SBOTOP odds of 2.20, while Betis are at 3.01 and the draw is 3.20.

The pre match La Liga 2022 news is dominated by key absentees in attack, but both teams have players capable of winning the game and it promises to be a fascinating 90 plus minutes.        

Five of Valencia’s last six fixtures have yielded two or three goals, while four of Betis’ last six games have landed in that range, so I’m heading towards a 1-1 draw or a victory by the odd goal in three.   

 

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