Sevilla vs Betis Prediction & Betting Tips - LaLiga

Prediction published on 08/06/2020, 06:07  by James | Modified on 08/06/2020 at 07:07 in LaLiga Predictions

La Liga returns with the Seville derby on Thursday night. High-flying Sevilla are in third place, nine points off second and one point ahead of Real Sociedad in fourth. They welcome neighbours Betis to an empty Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán with Los Verdiblancos lagging behind in twelfth, a mere eight points above the relegation zone. Seville is one of the hottest cities in Europe therefore the kick-off is scheduled for the cooler evening. Unbeaten in their last four La Liga matches, Sevilla have reached their current lofty standing largely off the back of a superb away record. Only Real Madrid are better on the road than Sevilla whereas 11 teams are better on their own patch than Julen Lopetegui's team. They have failed to win seven of their 13 matches at home so it will be interesting to see if playing without fans has a dramatic effect on that record. Only one clean sheet from their last six home games suggests that the opposition will score as does the head-to-head record between these teams.

Betis have been awful on their travels this season. Led by former Lyon playmaker Nabil Fekir, they possess an exciting squad that likes to play positive football. Scoring goals isn't a problem for Betis, but conceding them is. Only six teams have scored more goals than they have but 17 teams have better defensive records. One win from 13 away games suggests that victory is unlikely but Betis have triumphed in punch-for-punch-type encounters at Sevilla before, famously winning 5-3 there in 2018. An impressive win over Real Madrid right before the season was stopped suggested that they still have plenty to offer. We expect them to show their good and bad sides in what should be an entertaining game that's full of goals. Back over 3.5 goals.