Betis vs Barcelona Prediction & Betting Tips - Super Cup

Prediction published on 11/01/2023, 04:18  by Daniel Ngulu in Football Predictions

Real Betis have been growing over the past few years and their Copa del Rey win in Spain last season has landed them a place in the last four of the Spanish Super Cup. They will be taking on Barcelona in the Thursday night game at the King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia as they chase another top piece of silverware. Real Betis have done well since action returned after the 2022 World Cup and they approach this game unbeaten in their last three games. They have two straight wins and scored six goals in the process, while in their last seven matches, they have just one loss, five wins and four clean sheets. This run will give Real Betis reason to believe they can upset Barca here. However their form against the Catalans hasn’t been great, with eight losses in the last 10 games. They did beat Barcelona 1-0 at Camp Nou last season but it will take much more to see off the current Barcelona. This is their second appearance at the Super Cup, the first having ended in a 4-2 aggregate loss to Barcelona. Betis will have to do without Youssuf Sabaly for this game as he nurses an ankle injury, while Paul Akoukou is also out with a muscular strain. Alex Moreno is available for selection but as he is linked with a move away, he may be out of Manuel Pelegrini’s plans for this competition.

Barcelona on the other hand, are coming from a hard fought 1-0 victory over title rivals Atletico Madrid and after finishing a distant second in La Liga last season, they seem primed to go for the title this time. Barcelona are in great form and come here with four wins in the last five matches. They’ve however struggled to carry their defensive strength in La Liga to cup competition and recently conceded three against Intercity in the Copa del Rey, only needing an extra time goal from Ansu Fati to see off the minnows 4-3. They have two clean sheets in six matches but in three of the last five matches, they have scored two or more goals. Barcelona come into this game with just one loss in 10 games, but they have no outright win in the last four Super Cup matches. Their only victory in those four matches was on post match penalties in 2021 as they saw off Real Sociedad. Barca have also failed to keep a clean sheet in the last seven Super Cup games. Barcelona will be able to field a much stronger side than they did in the win over Atleti; Ousmane Dembele did his chances a big favor with the winning goal and he could start in a front line that welcomes back Robert Lewandowski and Jordi Alba. However, the Catalans will miss Ferran Torres, who is suspended.