La Liga: Betis Aim to Sink the Submarine in the Champions League Chase

Real Betis vs Villarreal

Sixth hosts fifth at the Benito Villamarin on Sunday, as the La Liga game between Real Betis and Villarreal caps off another great weekend of top-flight Spanish football.

Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis have been in fine form in recent weeks and have climbed up to 48 points alongside Marcelino’s Villarreal in fifth, trailing only on goal difference, while the Yellow Submarine has a game in hand. With Athletic Club in fourth some six points ahead and seventh placed Celta Vigo five behind, these two clubs will end the weekend in fifth and sixth, but Los Verdiblancos hope to have changed places.

And it really matters, as a fifth placed finish could well bring Champions League football. For the first time last year, two leagues were rewarded with an extra place based on the performance in Europe of each nation’s clubs. Before, the lucky recipients were Germany and Italy, while this time around it increasingly looks like England and Spain will collect a fifth spot at Europe’s top table.

It’s going to be a tough battle, and both teams come into the game on the back of a hard-earned draw, with Betis frustrating league leaders Barcelona with a 1-1 result in Catalonia while Villarreal held Athletic Club to a goalless stalemate.

Real Betis were also in Europa Conference league action in midweek, beating Jagiellonia 2-0 in their first leg, and they look pretty certain to progress, but the extra games add to their workload at the most crucial time of the year.

 

Talking Points

Betis are on the march

Before holding the Blaugrana to a draw, Pellegrini’s team had recorded six league wins on the bounce and, when Natan scored his first Betis goal to cancel out Gavi’s opener, it felt like another win for Los Verdiblancos. In midweek, goals from Cedric Bakambu and the much sought after Jesus Rodriguez gave Betis another win to keep that precious habit going.  

And now the big pre-match La Liga 2025 news from the Verdiblancos camp are reports that midfield ace Isco came through their Europa Conference clash unscathed, after rumours he was not 100-per cent. After missing last weekend’s game through suspension, he lasted 45 minutes of the Europa game but was hooked at halftime as he was on a yellow card. Isco has been a crucial player with his creativity and experience in midfield supporting Betis’ goal threat. 

Attacking midfielder Giovanni Lo Celso is the club’s leading with seven goals, while Manchester United loanee Antony has been in superb form since his arrival from Old Trafford in January, scoring four goals and making four assists, and the club is working on making his move permanent. But the 25-year-old winger’s impressive return to form is certain to alert some of Europe’s big spending clubs. 

 

Villarreal squad is stretched

Last week’s goalless draw with top four rivals Athletic Club was a decent result on the face of it, but the point came at a cost as defencive midfielder Pape Gueye received a red card which will keep him out of this game. It looked like the Senegalese star would stay on the pitch, but VAR intervened and off he went to join assistant coach Ruben Uria, who also received his marching orders.

And while Gueye, who is no stranger to bans, will have to sit out this game, there is worrying news from the training ground as Moroccan striker Ilias Akhomach, defender and skipper Raul Albiol, wide-man Nicolas Pepe, and on loan forward Tajon Buchanan all look unlikely to make the Betis game. The absence of Akhomach, Pepe, and Buchanan puts more pressure on top scorer Ayoze Perez to add to his 11 goals for the season, while a missing Albiol will give the Real Betis frontline a timely boost. 

Villarreal would not be in fifth though if they didn’t have some serious quality. And in winger Alex Baena, who has scored six goals and made eight assists, they have a potential matchwinner. 

 

History

With 16 wins to 15, the Yellow Submarine is edging the head-to-head meetings, but Betis ran out 2-1 winners in the return game back in December with Lo Celso scoring the vital second for Los Verdiblancos.

Pellegrini’s men come into the game in fine form with five wins and a draw from their last six outings. In fact, they are unbeaten in eight in all competitions, while Villarreal have won two, drawn two, and lost two of their last six.

 

Betting Tip

The La Liga 2025 betting odds points to a real ding-dong battle. At SBOTOP odds of 2.28, the hosts are marginal favourites with an away win priced at 2.67 and the draw at 3.16.

I’m edging towards a Betis win, but I see the value in a game with 2-3 goals, as each team has registered three results with that tally in recent weeks.    

   

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