Betis v Barcelona Betting Tips [1 February 2023]

The 17th round of LaLiga will witness a highly anticipated encounter as Real Betis host leaders Barcelona at the Benito Villamarin Stadium. Betis have been in decent form this season and currently sit in sixth place in the league, with a solid home record. They come into this match on the back of a crucial 1-0 victory against Getafe, which saw them bounce back from two disappointing penalty shootout losses against Barcelona and Osasuna and a defeat to Espanyol without scoring. Their home form has been impressive this season, with the joint-fourth best home record in the league, and they have conceded just five goals in their home games, only Barcelona have a better record. Defensively, Betis have been solid and boast the third best defense in LaLiga, with their backline consisting of experienced and reliable players. They are known to make it tough for their opposition and will be looking to do the same against Barcelona, who they lost to in penalties in the Super Copa. In their recent home meetings against Barcelona at the Benito Villamarin, Betis have lost to the Blaugrana by a single goal in each of their last three fixtures, which shows that they have the potential to cause trouble for their opponents

Barcelona are the league leaders and continue to be showing strong form particularly in defence. After another narrow win 1-0 against Girona, The Blaugrana have kept four straight clean sheets in all competitions and have conceded only six goals in eighteen games, making them the best defense in LaLiga. Xavi’s side have been equally impressive on the road, winning each of their last nine away games and scoring nine goals in their last three. However, the recent injury news of talismanic creator Ousman Dembele, who is expected to stay out for a month, could slightly impact Xavi’s plans, with the Frenchman forming an instrumental partnership with Pedri and Gavi, as well as Lewandowski at the front. When it comes to the head-to-head record, Barcelona have a great record when visiting Betis. They have won nine of their past ten away meetings against them and eight of those matches saw Over 2.5 goals.