Real Betis will be aiming to post their third straight win in all competitions when they resume their La Liga campaign away to Alaves on Sunday night.
The visitors are currently seventh in the table, boasting 12 points from their first eight matches, while Alaves are down in 17th, having picked up just seven points from their opening eight games of 2023-24.
Match preview
© Reuters
Alaves have won two, drawn one and lost five of their eight league matches this season to collect seven points, which has left them in 17th position in the table heading into the next set of fixtures.
Luis Garcia's side won two of their three league games between August 21 and September 2, but they have picked up just one point from their last four matches and will enter this contest off the back of a 2-0 home defeat to Osasuna last weekend.
Six of Alaves' seven points this season have come at home, beating both Sevilla and Valencia, although the two-goal reverse to Osasuna last time out was a setback.
The Basque outfit secured a return to La Liga through the 2022-23 Segunda Division playoffs, so their main focus for this term is to avoid relegation, meaning that any position higher than 18th would be seen as a successful campaign.
Alaves have lost each of their last four La Liga matches against Real Betis, with their last success over the Seville outfit coming back in July 2020.
© Reuters
Real Betis, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of successive wins, beating Valencia 3-0 in La Liga last weekend before recording a 2-1 victory over Sparta Prague in the Europa League.
Manuel Pellegrini's side lost their Europa League group-stage opener to Rangers on September 21, but they managed to bounce back at home to Sparta on Thursday, which has left them level on three points with the other three teams in Group C.
The Green and Whites are yet to really take off in the league this season, but they have picked up a respectable 12 points from eight matches to sit seventh in the table, four points off fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
Real Betis finished sixth in Spain's top flight last term and are likely to be in and around the European spots once again, and the 3-0 home win over Valencia last weekend was comfortably their best performance of the campaign.
The goals have been shared around the squad in the opening weeks of the campaign, but Willian Jose is top of the charts in La Liga on three, while there is also focus on talented 18-year-old Assane Diao, who has netted twice in his two league outings this term.
Team News
© Reuters
Alaves will again be missing Jon Guridi and Giuliano Simeone this weekend through injury, while Antonio Blanco is suspended following his red card against Osasuna.
Head coach Garcia is expected to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes to the side that started last time out, but Samu is set to come into the side, while there is also likely to be a starting role in midfield for Carlos Benavidez.
Luis Rioja and Alex Sola should feature in the wide positions, with Kike Garcia again likely to be given the nod over Jon Karrikaburu in terms of the centre-forward spot.
Real Betis, meanwhile, will be missing Luiz Henrique, Marc Bartra, Youssouf Sabaly and Nabil Fekir due to injury problems.
Marc Roca started in central defence in the Europa League last time out due to Bartra's absence and that could again be the case against Alaves this weekend.
Willian Jose was back from injury against Sparta, meanwhile, and he could now return in the final third of the field.
Claudio Bravo, Hector Bellerin and Rodri are also expected to be introduced back into the XI, while Diao is set for another start in a wide position.
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Tenaglia, Marin, Sedlar, Duarte; Benavidez, Guevara; Sola, Samu, Rioja; Kike
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Bravo; Bellerin, Pezzella, Roca, Miranda; Rodriguez, Carvalho; Diao, Isco, Rodri; Willian Jose
We say: Alaves 1-2 Real Betis
Alaves are a tough side to back at the moment, and we are finding it difficult to predict anything other than an away win here. Real Betis will not have had long to prepare for this match, but their quality should allow them to secure an important three points ahead of the international break.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
