Atletico Madrid will travel to Sevilla this Sunday to take on Real Betis in the eleventh round of the 2022/23 La Liga season.
Venue: Estadio Benito Villamarín (Sevilla)
Key Statistics
Real Betis have won all five of their La Liga home games this season.
They are unbeaten in their last eight home games in all competitions.
The hosts have failed to score in three of their last six games.
Atletico Madrid are unbeaten in their last four league games (W3, D1).
The visitors have the joint-best first-half record (1H: W6, D3, L1) from the first ten rounds of the La Liga campaign.
Betis have won the last 12 La Liga games in which they scored the opening goal.
Head to head
Atletico Madrid are unbeaten in their last six games against Real Betis (W5, D1).
Latest performances in all competitions
Real Betis: D-W-D-D-W
Atletico Madrid: D-W-D-W-L
Real Betis
Real Betis will look to pick up just their second win in La Liga since after the September international break when they welcome fellow top-four hopefuls Atletico Madrid to Sevilla on Sunday.
The hosts enjoyed a solid start to life in La Liga this season, winning five out of their opening six league games (L1). But since returning from the international break in September, they seem to have lost their mojo.
In four La Liga games played so far, they have won just once, losing one and drawing twice, one of which came in their last outing against lowly Cadiz (0-0).
Although the result kept them within reach of the top four, they will consider that a missed opportunity to solidify their grip on the UEFA Champions League place given that the competition for the top four is high this season.
Regardless, they will look to get maximum points from this game and maintain their 100% winning record in La Liga games at home. Currently, Manuel Pellegrini’s side are the only La Liga club to have won their first five home games of the season.
Having narrowly missed out on UCL football last season, they are playing to finish in the top four for the first time since the 2005 season. Win against an Atletico Madrid side that they have not won in six attempts (D1, L5) will go a long way to prove that they mean business this season.
Possible Real Betis starting line-up
Claudio Bravo; Youssouf Sabaly, Marc Bartra, Victor Ruiz, Andres Guardado; Paul Akouokou, William Carvalho; Aitor Ruibal, Nabil Fekir, Joaquin; Borja Iglesias.
Injured: Juan Miranda, Martin Montoya, Joselu
Doubtful: Victor Camarasa
Suspended: Sergio Canales
Atletico Madrid
Atletico will look to bounce back from their embarrassing 1-1 draw with Real Valladolid last time out when they visit Betis on Sunday.
Diego Simeone’s men suffered an arguably more significant embarrassment than their hosts in Matchday Ten when failing to defeat struggling Rayo Vallecano at home, leaving them alongside Betis on 20 points in a top-six logjam below rivals Real Madrid.
The result was just the third time the Madrid club had dropped points as pre-match favourites this La Liga season (W5, D2, L1).
Speaking after the game, Simeone lamented his team’s inability to be ‘forceful’ after they failed to score more than once from12-shot attempts at goal.
Regardless, Atlético appears a likely candidate to test Betis’ wily defenders, having scored three goals past their opponents twice last season (W2).
They will be able to do so this time if they can continue to accumulate strong starts that has seen them put together the league’s joint-best first-half record from the first ten rounds of the campaign (W6, D3, L1).
Possible Atletico starting line-up
Jan Oblak; Felipe, Jose Gimenez, Reinildo Mandava; Sime Vrsaljko, Marcos Llorente, Hector Herrera, Rodrigo De Paul, Renan Lodi; Alvaro Morata, Antoine Griezmann.
Injured: Mario Hermoso, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Matheus Cunha, Daniel Wass
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Stefan Savic
Prediction
Real Betis 1-0 Atletico Madrid
