Real Betis vs Barcelona Prediction: Back Raphinha to score in Away Win

Barcelona play in the 15:15 slot on Saturday afternoon as they make the trip to Seville to take on Real Betis in a match available to stream via Premier Sports Player.

Our Spanish Football expert Mark Sochon believes that the away side will emerge victorious but won't keep a clean sheet. Read why in his match preview below, including match odds and all the latest team news and of course - those all important Real Betis vs Barcelona Predictions...

*You can check out all of the Football Odds we offer over at betfred.com

Barcelona travel to the Estadio Benito Villamarín on Saturday for a fixture that usually serves up entertainment and plenty of goals.  

The last 12 meetings of Real Betis and Barcelona in La Liga have produced 58 goals in total, with both teams scoring in each of the last six meetings in Seville. It’s a fixture that does normally end up going the way of the Catalans who have won on each of their last seven visits to this stadium, including a 4-2 win here earlier this year. 

That was one of the few truly bright performances in Xavi’s difficult final season. There have been plenty of highlights so far in the reign of successor Hansi Flick though, and there was another on Tuesday night in Palma de Mallorca. 

With Barça wobbling for the first time under Flick and winless in three league games, a big performance was needed three days on from a shock home defeat against Las Palmas. 

The game was level at the break, with Vedat Muriqi cancelling out an opener from Ferran Torres who had rotated in for Robert Lewandowski up front. Barça really showed their class in the Second Half however, with four unanswered goals to secure a big road win against a Mallorca side that is notoriously tough to break down in their own stadium. 

That 5-1 scoreline was a pretty fair reflection of a game that the visitors ultimately dominated with Raphinha in inspired form once more.  

The return to the starting eleven of Lamine Yamal, after an injury which coincided with his side’s dip in form, was also significant. Flick’s team look much more balanced whenever the teenager is on the pitch and he is La Liga’s assist leader with eight in 14 matches this term. 

Real Betis will need to find some way of countering the winger’s threat, and they can take some encouragement from a record of just one defeat in 10 home outings this term. 

They have boasted a strong home record overall during Manuel Pellegrini's four and a half year reign, although the Chilean has struggled to find the winning formula for this particular fixture. 

Four weeks have passed since their last outing in front of their own fans which was a 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo. Since then, Betis have been dealing with a major midfield injury crisis which has left them having to cope without five players in the centre of the park. 

B team players Carlos Guirao and Mateo Flores have been promoted to the senior set-up as a result, but Pellegrini’s side have struggled, losing three on the bounce in all competitions, before a 3-1 win at fourth tier Sant Andreu in the Copa del Rey in midweek. 

Los Verdiblancos have not been quite as entertaining this season as has been the case at other points in the Chilean’s reign. While their defensive record has been reasonably solid, an average of just 1.07 goals scored per game is poor for a team that is now a consistent challenger for the European places. 

It would be even worse were it not for Giovani Lo Celso who has impressed on his return to the club, following a summer move from Tottenham. The Argentina international has chipped in with five goals in nine appearances and has done a good job of filling in for long-term absentee Isco, comfortably the best player for Betis last season. 

However, they’ve often been wasteful in front of goal, with Barça loanee Vitor Roque the only other player to score more than twice. 

Team News: 

Roque is expected to lead the line against his parent club, with the terms of the loan deal meaning he is eligible for selection, while winger Abde Ez should also start against his former side. 

Betis still have big problems in midfield though with Pablo Fornals, Johnny Cardoso, Marc Roca and William Carvalho sidelined through injury, meaning 21-year-old Guirao may start again after featuring in the 2-0 defeat at Real Sociedad last weekend. Isco could be fit enough to make the bench. 

As for the visitors, there are no fresh issues for Flick following the midweek trip to Mallorca. He is still missing Marc-André ter Stegen, Ronald Araújo, Ansu Fati, Andreas Christensen and Marc Bernal to injuries. 

Flick has confirmed that Lewandowski will return to the lineup after his first rest of the season. The striker had started all 20 of Barcelona’s competitive fixtures, before dropping to the bench at Son Moix. 

That may be the only change from Tuesday night, although it’s possible that the Barça boss may look to rotate one or two other players ahead of a Champions League trip to Borussia Dortmund next week. 

Real Betis vs Barcelona Odds

Barcelona travel to Seville as the 3/5 favourites to win this game. You can back Betis at 4/1, while the Draw is priced at 100/30. 

The high scoring history of this fixture does suggest that backing goals could be the way to go. Over 3.5 goals is on offer at 6/5 here, while you can get odds of 8/15 for Both teams to score. Both teams to score two or more goals, a winning bet in three of the last five meetings in this stadium, is priced at 3/1. 

Having hit five in midweek, Barcelona can be backed at 6/4 to score Over 2.5 goals here, while you can get odds of 4/1 for the Catalans to score Over 3.5 for what would be the 10th time already this season in all competitions. 

Lewandowski is the 7/2 favourite to score first, while you can back the Polish international to score anytime at 19/20. Lamine Yamal is on offer at 2/1 to score anytime, while the 17-year-old sensation is priced at 13/5 to register 1+ assists in this game. 

From a Betis perspective, Lo Celso is available at 16/5 to get on the scoresheet. You can also back Vitor Roque to score against his parent club at 23/10. 

Bet 1 - Barcelona to win & Both teams to score @ 7/4 

Even against such strong opposition, it’s not really in Pellegrini’s nature to park the bus and play for a draw. That has certainly contributed to some very entertaining clashes between these teams in recent years. 

With four or more goals in 56% of Barça’s league games this term, there’s every reason to think this fixture should deliver again on the entertainment front. With Lamine Yamal fit, and both Raphinha and Lewandowski enjoying stunning seasons in front of goal, the visitors should have enough firepower to win this game, particularly given the problems Betis are having in the middle of the park. 

While they’ve been a bit wasteful with their finishing at times, the Andalusians do ask questions of opposing defences and I see them most likely getting on the scoresheet at some point in this one. Given that, I’m backing Barcelona to win and Both teams to score at 7/4. 

Bet 2 - Raphinha to score anytime @ 6/4 

The form player in La Liga right now is unquestionably Raphinha. The Brazilian has silenced all of his doubters over the past couple of months with some scintillating displays, and his goal tally now stands at 16 in all competitions for Barça this term following his midweek brace. 

That's some going for a winger and he has 10 goals in his last nine matches alone, a run that started with a hat-trick against Bayern Munich at the end of October. 

The former Leeds man has become an integral part of Flick's Barça for the work he does on and off the ball. I'm backing the 27-year-old to continue his scoring streak here, with Raphinha priced at 6/4 to score anytime. 

Mark Sochon primarily covers Spanish Football for us at Betfred Insights. You can check out Mark's La Liga Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...