Barcelona will be bidding to make it four La Liga victories in a row when they welcome Real Betis to Camp Nou on Saturday evening in one of the standout matches in game week five.
The reigning champions have picked up 10 points from their opening four matches of the season to sit in third position in the table, while Real Betis are seventh, boasting seven points from their first four games.
Match preview
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Barcelona made an underwhelming start to the new La Liga season, playing out a goalless draw with Getafe, but they have since posted three straight wins over Cadiz, Villarreal and Osasuna.
It did appear that the points would be shared with Osasuna before the international break, with Ezequiel Avila cancelling out an opener from Jules Kounde to leave the sides level heading into the latter stages, but Robert Lewandowski came up with the winner in the 86th minute of the contest.
Barcelona are third in the table, two points behind leaders Real Madrid, and Xavi's side are now preparing for three home matches in a row, two of which are in the league, with Celta Vigo visiting Camp Nou next weekend.
The Catalan giants will also host Royal Antwerp in their Champions League group-stage opener next week, with the club determined to improve in the competition, having failed to make it through the group stage in their last two seasons.
Barcelona signed Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix on loan from Manchester City and Atletico Madrid respectively on transfer deadline day, with the two players making their debuts against Osasuna, and the pair will be looking to contribute to another successful campaign for the club.
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Real Betis, meanwhile, will enter this contest off the back of a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano, with Willian Jose netting the only goal of the fixture in the 53rd minute.
Manuel Pellegrini's side have picked up seven points from their opening four matches, starting with a 2-1 success over Villarreal before drawing with Atletico Madrid and losing to Athletic Bilbao in their next two.
The Seville outfit sit seventh in the table, and they are also preparing for European action next week, facing a trip to Rangers in their opening group-stage fixture in the Europa League.
Real Betis finished sixth in La Liga last season, which directly qualified them for the group stage of the Europa League, and the team will be expecting to be high up the table once again come the end of the campaign.
The Green and Whites have lost their last three league games against Barcelona, but they have a recent Camp Nou success to their name, recording a 1-0 victory at the famous stadium in December 2021.
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Team News
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Barcelona remain without the services of key duo Pedri and Ronald Araujo through injury, while there is a major doubt over Ilkay Gundogan, who suffered a back problem while representing Germany during the international break.
Gundogan's issue is not thought to be as serious as initially feared, but he is unlikely to feature in this match.
Fermin Lopez is also out, with the midfielder serving a suspension due to the red card that he picked up in a match for Barcelona's second team.
Cancelo and Felix could come into the XI for their full debuts, while 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, fresh from becoming Spain's youngest-ever player and goalscorer, is expected to again start in the final third due to his excellent form early this season.
As for Real Betis, Aitor Ruibal, Luiz Henrique, Claudio Bravo, William Carvalho and Nabil Fekir are currently on the sidelines through injury.
Pellegrini's side also sold Luiz Felipe to Al-Ittihad before the Saudi Pro League transfer deadline, so there will have to be a change at the back from the last game against Rayo, with Marc Bartra potentially coming in to face his former club.
Willian Jose should again get the nod over Borja Iglesias in the final third of the field, while Carvalho's injury has opened the door for Marc Roca to feature alongside Guido Rodriguez in the middle of the park.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Kounde, Christensen, Balde; Romeu, De Jong, Gavi; Yamal, Lewandowski, Felix
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Bellerin, Pezzella, Bartra, Abner; Rodriguez, Roca; Rodri, Isco, Perez; Willian Jose
We say: Barcelona 2-1 Real Betis
This has the potential to be a very tricky match for Barcelona, and we would not be surprised to see a draw on Saturday. The Catalan outfit are on a roll at the moment, though, and with Yamal and Felix potentially featuring alongside Lewandowski in an exciting front three, we can see the home side winning this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
