Two teams at opposite ends of the Europa League Group C table will meet on Thursday night as the current leaders Real Betis host bottom-placed Aris Limassol.

Despite the difference in places, there are only three points between them, showcasing how much there is to play for in the fourth game week of the competition.

Match preview

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Real Betis recovered from losing the first game of the group stage against Rangers by picking up consecutive victories in the Europa League to leave them top of the group at the halfway point.

With a two-point gap over their closest competitors, there is not a lot of breathing room, which is something they will be attempting to change this week.

Another victory could extend that with their final two matches ahead of them, and they will have plenty of belief that they can achieve that after defeating Aris Limassol during their last outing in the competition.

The Spanish outfit were made to work hard for that, though, as it took until the 75th minute for Ayoze Perez to score the only goal of the match.

However, since that point, they have had no problems finding the back of the net in other competitions, which included an emphatic 12-1 win over Hernan Cortes.

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The visitors will be wary of the attacking qualities that Real Betis possess, though, especially since they have been struggling defensively in the Europa League.

They have conceded more goals than any other team in their group, and while they have managed to score four times the -1 goal difference is something that could be important to change.

Aris Limassol did react positively to the defeat against Real Betis in the reverse fixture as they have gone on to win consecutive games, which should bring some momentum into this one.

Aleksey Shpilevsky's men were able to defeat Rangers in the second game week of the group stage, and they have proven to be competitive in every match that they have had.

Continuing that run will be important to ensure that a large gap is not created between them and the rest of the group, especially since there is only a single point between them and the two teams above.

Team News

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Perez will continue to be an attacking threat for Real Betis, and he will be expected to start out wide for the Spanish outfit in this fixture.

Willian Jose will be leading the line as he aims to open his account in the Europa League for this season, and the passing qualities of Isco in the attacking midfielder role should help create opportunities for him.

However, the hosts do have a lengthy list of injuries to deal with at the moment as they are without Borja Iglesias, Marc Bartra, Youssouf Sabaly and Nabil Fekir.

Yannick Gomis has been the main goal threat for the visitors this season in all competitions, and he will have plenty of pressure on his shoulders heading into this match.

Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Bravo; Bellerin, Pezzella, Riad, Miranda; Rodriguez, Roca; Diao, Isco, Perez; Willian Jose

Aris Limassol possible starting lineup:
Vana; Boakye, Yago, Moucketou-Moussounda, Urosevic; Struski, Szoke; Bengtsson, Gomis, Mayambela; Babicka

We say: Real Betis 3-1 Aris Limassol

The previous fixture between these two teams proved to be a closely fought one, but that might not be the case this time around with Real Betis having the home advantage.

The attacking qualities of the Spanish outfit should prove to be the difference maker in this particular match, which Aris Limassol might struggle with.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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