Spanish football features another edition of the famed Seville derby this weekend as Sevilla take on Real Betis in an important La Liga clash on Sunday. Both teams can pack a punch on their day and will be intent on a victory this weekend.
Real Betis are in fifth place in the La Liga standings and have largely punched above their weight over the past year. Manuel Pellegrini's charges suffered a shock 4-0 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen this week and will need to bounce back in this game.
Sevilla, on the other hand, are in third place in the league table at the moment and have been excellent this year. The Andalusian giants eased past Osasuna by a 2-0 margin in their previous league game and will be confident ahead of this fixture.
Real Betis vs Sevilla Head-to-Head
Sevilla have an excellent record against Real Betis and have won 22 out of 44 matches played between the two teams. Real Betis have managed seven victories against Sevilla and will need to improve their record in the Seville derby.
The previous meeting between the two arch-rivals took place in March this year and ended in a narrow 1-0 victory for Sevilla. Real Betis gave a good account of themselves on the day but will need to be more clinical this weekend.
Real Betis form guide in La Liga: L-W-W-W-L
Sevilla form guide in La Liga: W-D-W-W-L
Real Betis vs Sevilla Team News
Real Betis
Youssouf Sabaly is injured at the moment and has been ruled out of this fixture. Victor Camarasa is also carrying a knock and might not be able to recover in time for this match.
Injured: Youssouf Sabaly
Doubtful: Victor Camarasa
Suspended: None
Sevilla
Alejandro Gomez is recovering from an injury at the moment and will not be included in the squad. Karim Rekik and Youssef En-Nesyri have made progress with their recoveries and could feature in this match.
Injured: Alejandro Gomez
Doubtful: Karim Rekik
Suspended: None
Real Betis vs Sevilla Predicted XI
Real Betis Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Claudio Bravo; Juan Miranda, German Pezzella, Victor Ruiz, Hector Bellerin; William Carvalho, Andres Guardado; Nabil Fekir, Joaquin, Aitor Ruibal; Borja Iglesias
Sevilla Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Yassine Bounou; Marcos Acuna, Diego Carlos, Jules Kounde, Jesus Navas; Fernando, Ivan Rakitic; Lucas Ocampos, Suso, Erik Lamela; Youssef En-Nesyri
Real Betis vs Sevilla Prediction
Sevilla have grown in stature under Julen Lopetegui this year and could potentially mount a title challenge this season. The Andalusian giants have built an excellent squad and will be intent on proving their mettle in one of the biggest games of their season.
Real Betis have conceded seven goals in their last two games and will need to act quickly to arrest what has been a disconcerting slump. Sevilla are the better team at the moment and should be able to win this game.
Prediction: Real Betis 2-3 Sevilla