Espanyol vs Real Betis Prediction: Visitors to win again

Real Betis' pursuit of Uefa Champions League football continues on Sunday (17:30, Premier Sports 2) as they travel to Barcelona to face Espanyol in La Liga. Manuel Pellegrini's side have won eight of their last 10 fixtures in the top flight and they are putting the pressure on Villarreal, who currently occupy fifth spot.

Espanyol were beaten by Villarreal in their previous outing in the league but they were unbeaten in five games before that defeat. Below you will find my Espanyol vs Real Betis predictions, featuring the latest team news and match odds.

Football Odds

Team News

Espanyol duo Brian Olivan and Jose Gragera are still on the sidelines through injury, but the hosts were boosted by the return of Sergi Gomez to the matchday squad at Villarreal last Sunday.

The Blanc-i-blaus escaped last week's defeat without any fresh injury concerns, which will give boss Manolo Gonzalez a boost for Sunday's clash with Betis.

Goalkeeper Joan Garcia has been impressive for Espanyol this season but there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding his future as we approach the summer. His performances have not gone unnoticed as the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal have all been reported to be interested in the shot-stopper.

Javi Puado has been excellent for the Periquitos in attack, contributing 11 goals and three assists in 30 La Liga appearances this term.

Betis are without the services of Marc Roca (ankle) and Diego Llorente (hamstring) due to season-ending injuries. Chimy Avila has been absent from his side's past five squads across all competitions due to a thigh issue.

Romain Perraud started at left-back in Thursday's Uefa Conference League victory over Fiorentina. Ricardo Rodriguez was the starter in the La Liga clash with Real Valladolid last weekend, shaking off an issue he'd picked up against Jagiellonia Bialystok.

The Swiss full-back could be restored to the XI on Sunday, but Pellegrini may be tempted to stick with Perraud given how well he has performed in recent weeks.

Johnny Cardoso and Pablo Fornals are likely to continue their partnership in the engine room, while Antony, Isco and Abde Ezzalzouli should provide attacking support to striker Cucho Hernandez, who was not named in Los Verdiblancos' European squad.

Espanyol vs Real Betis Odds

Espanyol have won three of their last five fixtures in La Liga and they are 9/4 to grab the victory on Sunday.

The draw is marketed at 2/1, with the hosts having experienced two stalemates in two of their past six appearances.

Betis have won eight of their last 10 matches in the top flight and they are 7/5 (which has an implied probability of 41.7%) to record a third consecutive victory on Sunday.

Isco has two goals in as many league games for the visitors coming into this clash and he is 12/5 to strike anytime.

Real Betis to win @ 7/5 

Confidence is oozing from Betis at the moment as they look to finish the season strongly. Their league form has been very impressive with eight wins from their last 10 matches. There was a slight wobble in between with a draw and a defeat, but this was followed by big wins at Girona and at home to Real Valladolid.

Los Mejores also have one foot in the Uefa Conference League final after winning the first leg of their semi-final tie against Fiorentina, who have made the final in this competition for two years running.

Pellegrini's men are in great shape and they have built some impressive momentum over the past few months. They are proving very difficult to stop and I think they will get the better of Espanyol on Sunday, despite the hosts experiencing an improvement in form over the last couple of weeks.

Betis bested the Blanc-i-blaus when the sides met at Benito Villamarin back in September. The game finished 1-0 courtesy of a late goal from Giovani Lo Celso. The visitors have become a lot more potent in front of goal since then, so there could be a few more goals on offer to them at the RCDE Stadium.

Both teams to score @ 10/11

Espanyol can play their part in this contest, though, as before defeat to Villarreal they had gone five games unbeaten in La Liga, which included a three-match winning streak.

The hosts have also scored in eight consecutive league games on home turf, which bodes well for my second tip which is both teams to score. This has been a successful bet in three of their last four league clashes at the RCDE Stadium heading into Sunday.

This has also been a star selection in games involving Betis of late as each of their previous six matches in La Liga have produced goals at both ends, while BTTS has struck in eight of their previous nine fixtures across all competitions.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.