FC Barcelona will host Real Betis on Saturday at their home stadium after an exciting week where the Blaugrana managed to win against Girona in their last La Liga matchup before knocking out Atletico de Madrid in the Copa del Rey’s semifinals, as the side coached by Hansi Flick will face Real Madrid in the final on April 26 in Sevilla. FC Barcelona are at the top of the standings with a three-point margin on Carlo Ancelotti’s side while Atletico are nine points behind and almost out of the title race with nine games left before the end of the season.
Flick is also expected to make some lineup rotations ahead of the UEFA Champions League first leg quarterfinal against Borussia Dortmund that will take place on Wednesday (as always you can catch all the Champions League action across Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network and CBS Sports Network). Real Betis, on the other hand, are sixth in the table with a six-point gap to fourth place, so they are still in contention for a spot in the next Champions League. Manuel Pellegrini’s team are coming from six wins in the last six La Liga games, same as the home side.
Barcelona will be without some key players due to injuries such as Dani Olmo, Marc Casado, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but Lamine Yamal is expected to make it into the starting eleven. Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds for Barcelona vs. Real Betis
- Date: Saturday, April 5 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Lluis Companys — Barcelona, Spain
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: FC Barcelona -280; Draw +425; Real Betis +650
Last meeting
Barcelona and Real Betis met for the last time on January 15 as the side coached by Hansi Flick won 5-1 at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey while the other La Liga game played in Sevilla ended 2-2 thanks to a late goal from Real Betis winger Assane Diao.
What Barcelona are saying
Hansi Flick spoke ahead of the Real Betis match during the press conference and said, “It will be a tough game and we will have to be our best. Pellegrini has a lot of experience and he gets the best out of his players. If you see how Antony is playing now and how he was at Manchester United, you can see the coach’s hand. I have the feeling the team believes in itself. Also, those on the subs’ bench. Everybody. We believe in ourselves and now we have to show that on the field. We are battling for everything.”
Predicted lineups
FC Barcelona: Wojciech Szczesny; Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Alejandro Balde; Pedri, Frankie De Jong; Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski.
Real Betis: Adrian; Youssouf Sabaly, Marc Bartra, Diego Llorente, Ricardo Rodriguez; Johnny Cardoso, Pablo Fornals; Antony, Giovani Lo Celso, Jesus Rodriguez; Cucho Hernandez.
Player to watch
Antony, Real Betis — The former Manchester United winger, who is on loan to Real Betis, is finally living his second life in Spain under manager Manuel Pellegrini as he already has scored two goals and provided two assists in the eight games he played so far in La Liga matches, marking again the fact that Manchester United is probably not the best place for a player to shine in this moment. While his future remains in doubt, the match against Barcelona is a big opportunity for him to shop his skills.
Storyline to watch
Will Szczesny get a new deal? Barcelona are currently in talks to extend the deal of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny beyond the end of the current 2024-25 season, as the Polish player showed he still has it, despite announcing his early retirement in the summer 2024 after he left Juventus. Barcelona decided to sign him after the injury of Marc ter Stegen back in September, trusting he could help the club to achieve their targets and this is why they are now in talks to give him a new deal.
Prediction
It won’t be too easy for FC Barcelona as they are facing the best team of the moment, if we don’t consider Hansi Flick’s side. For this reason, it’s impossible to think about a tight win for Barcelona on Saturday. Pick: FC Barcelona 2, Real Betis 1.
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