Liverpool vs Real Betis Prediction: Arne Slot to lose US opener?

Arne Slot will continue his pre-season preparations with his new club Liverpool, as they face Real Betis in Pittsburgh in the early hours of Saturday morning (kick-off 00:30, BST). This is the first of three matches in the United States of America for the Reds, and Liverpool fans will be excited to see what sort of football Slot’s team will play early on. 

Below you can find my Liverpool vs Real Betis prediction, featuring team news and betting tips. 

Team News

Liverpool are heading into this game with a whole host of absentees it appears. Due to international commitments this summer all of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Alisson Becker, Alexis Mac Allister, Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate and Ryan Gravenberch were not part of the travelling contingent. 

As a result, Slot is without several key players, although Mo Salah and Andy Robertson are both set to play some part. Youngsters Jayden Danns and Bobby Clark are out, but Fabio Carvalho and Ben Doak are expected to feature. 

Meanwhile, Real Betis’s new signing Adrian will meet up with his former teammates just weeks after leaving Anfield. It will be a friendly face for the Liverpool players to come up against, but Rui Silva may start in goal for Betis. Elsewhere Ayoze Perez remains out after winning Euro 2024, while German Pezzella won the Copa America with Argentina and is also on holiday. 

Liverpool vs Real Betis Odds

Liverpool are priced at 10/11 to win this game, while Real Betis are available at 21/10. A draw can be backed at 11/4, while BTTS and over 2.5 goals are 4/11. 

Real Betis to win @ 21/10

Now backing Liverpool to lose would usually be something I would be fearful of, given the talent they possess, but to be truthful, I’m surprised they are even favourites for their opening match in the US. They are lacking so many key players that we will only see a couple of the usual first team take to the field, and they are likely to get a maximum of 45 minutes gametime. 

Slot will be trying to implement his playing style with a team mainly made up of youth or fringe players. Meanwhile, Betis are only missing a handful of first-teamers, and have already got their first pre-season win under their belt, which could make a massive difference. While Liverpool lost an unofficial game 1-0 to Preston, the Spaniards beat Austria Salzburg 5-1 last week, and I think they will give Liverpool a real test in Pittsburgh. 

Over 3.5 goals @ 10/11

It’s pre-season, so there are going to be goals. We see teams go for it throughout these sorts of games, and with the less of a focus on keeping the ball, usually there are plenty of goals.

With both teams likely to rotate the team, we should get plenty of minutes without a recognisable back four for either team on the pitch. With players such as Salah playing some part, this should be a high-scoring fixture, especially given Betis hit five in their last outing. 

Offers

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