Barcelona are looking unstoppable going forward this season under Hansi Flick, and only once in the previous 16 meetings between these sides since 2017 has there been less than 3 goals. With Barcelona looking to extend their lead at the top and Betis on a 6 game win streak in La Liga, the stage is set for another pulsating match between the sides.
Setting The Scene
Barcelona had an almost month off La Liga duty from just before Christmas until their match with Getafe in mid-January, which ended in a 1-1 draw away from home. Since then, Flick's side have been impeccable. They have won 9 from 9 of their La Liga matches, and their only two draws in all competitions came in the Champions League after already sealing qualification, and in a 4-4 back and forth game away at Atletico Madrid. Barca turned in a very mature performance on Wednesday night at the Metropolitano to seal qualification over Atleti and keep their dreams alive for a historic quadruple in Hansi Flick's first season in charge.
Betis are currently on their joint-longest La Liga win streak in the club's history. Having beaten Real Madrid 2-1 at the start of March and conquered rivals Sevilla by the same scoreline last weekend, Manuel Pellegrini's side have been edging their bigger games at the moment. With a strong chance of Spain achieving 5 Champions League places this season, Betis will be hoping to leapfrog Villarreal into this lucrative final spot. The sides are currently locked together on 47 points, but Villarreal's potent attack sees them 8 goals better off on GD.
While Betis will be full of confidence given their recent results, their task looks close to insurmountable on Saturday evening as they look to break their La Liga winning streak record. Barcelona have won the last two home La Liga meetings against Betis by an aggregate score of 9-0, while Betis visited in the Copa del Rey in January and left on the end of a 5-1 drubbing.
Team News
Barcelona have had the expected injury issues for a side competing on multiple fronts, but the early return of Pau Cubarsi at CB over the last week is a huge boost for The Blaugrana. Hansi Flick is sweating the fitness of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Eric Garcia after they suffered some heavy challenges against Atletico Madrid midweek. Gavi sat out of the midweek match with discomfort in his knee. Dani Olmo, ter Stegen, Casadó, Bernal and Christensen remain out, although Danish CB Christensen is nearing his return.
Betis are without the talismanic Isco after he accumulated too many yellow cards. Ezzalzouli has picked up a new ankle injury and Marc Roca continues to sit out with a foot injury.
Stats Watch
Brilliant Barca: Barcelona sit on 82 goals from 29 games in La Liga, a huge 20 goals more than title holders Real Madrid. Barcelona have registered 3+ goals in five consecutive competitive home matches.
Stubborn Betis: Betis have only lost one of their 7 matches against the current top 6 (3W, 3D). They sit top of the table for interceptions per match (10.0) in La Liga, while the Seville side occupy 5th place in the league for xG (45.4) and chances created (72).
Unstoppable Barca Forwards: Both Ferran Torres (1.02) and Lewandowski (1.01) are scoring more than one goal per 90 minutes on league duty. Lamine Yamal (11) and Raphinha (8) are top of the assists charts, while Lewandowski is 3 goals ahead of Mbappe in the scoring charts with 25 league goals.
With Barcelona chasing a historic quadruple and Betis riding a record-equalling win streak, Saturday night’s clash at Montjuïc is set up for fireworks. Flick will be hoping his side can overcome their injury troubles, and he will be looking to flex their attacking muscle once again as they aim to extend both their unbeaten La Liga run and their dominance in this fixture, while Betis arrive full of belief after recent scalps of Real Madrid and Sevilla. With both sides boasting high creative metrics and in-form forwards, and given their recent explosive head-to-heads, this promises to be another breathless, high-stakes encounter in the Spanish top flight.