Two teams with two points to show from their opening three La Liga matches will lock horns at Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes on Monday evening as Granada welcome Real Betis.
Granada, who occupy 17th spot in the table, suffered a 4-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano in their last game before the international break, while 14th-placed Betis lost 1-0 to Real Madrid.
Match preview
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Granada opened their 2021-22 La Liga season with back-to-back draws against Villarreal and Valencia but entered the international break off the back of a 4-0 defeat at Rayo on August 29.
A total of two points from three matches has left the club in 17th position in the table, but there is certainly a chance that they could be in the relegation zone by the time that this game kicks off on Monday night.
The Reds have finished seventh and ninth in their two campaigns since returning to this level, and they will be expecting to push high up the division once again under the leadership of Robert Moreno, who is waiting for his first victory since being appointed head coach in June.
Granada will be desperate to bounce back from their heavy loss at Rayo, even more so considering that their next league contest after this one will see them travel to Camp Nou to face Barcelona.
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Betis, meanwhile, enjoyed an impressive 2020-21 campaign, collecting 61 points from their 38 matches, which was enough to finish sixth, allowing them to qualify directly for the group stage of this season's Europa League.
Sixth represented the club's joint-best season at this level since 2004-05, and Manuel Pellegrini's side will open their Europa League group-stage campaign with a home game against Celtic on September 16.
Betis started their 2021-22 La Liga season with back-to-back draws against Mallorca and Cadiz before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid on August 28, with Dani Carvajal's effort proving to be the difference between the two teams in Seville.
Pellegrini will have to manage his squad in the coming weeks as European action begins, and a fascinating group will see the La Liga outfit also take on Bayer Leverkusen and Ferencvaros.
The Green and Whites recorded a 2-1 victory over Granada when the two teams last met in May, but Betis have not actually beaten Monday's opponents away from home in the league since April 2013.
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Team News
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Granada will again be without the services of Neyder Lozano through injury, but Darwin Machis could be in contention, having seemingly overcome a knock.
Head coach Moreno is expected to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes from the four-goal loss against Rayo, but there could be a start in the middle of the park for Monchu.
Carlos Bacca is expected to be joined by Luis Suarez and Antonio Puertas in the final third of the field, while Luis Milla should keep his midfield spot despite pressure from Yan Eteki.
As for Betis, Diego Lainez remains on the sidelines with an ankle problem, while Youssouf Sabaly and Willian Jose are doubts for Pellegrini's side.
Hector Bellerin, who has joined the club on loan from Arsenal, is in line to make his debut for the club, with the Spaniard expected to go into the starting XI at right-back.
Sergio Canales could be dropped into a deeper position against Granada, allowing Borja Iglesias to return in the final third of the field, with Andres Guardado potentially dropping down to the bench.
Granada possible starting lineup:
Escandell; Diaz, Duarte, Sanchez, Neva; Gonalons, Milla, Monchu; Suarez, Bacca, Puertas
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Bellerin, Pezzella, Ruiz, Miranda; Rodriguez, Canales; Juanmi, Fekir, Ruibal; Iglesias
We say: Granada 1-1 Real Betis
There has only actually been one draw in the last five La Liga meetings between these two sides, but we are finding it difficult to separate them here. Betis are, arguably, the favourites, but Granada have a lot of quality in their side, and we have had to settle on a share of the spoils.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Real Betis win with a probability of 43.87%. A draw had a probability of 28.3% and a win for Granada had a probability of 27.79%.
The most likely scoreline for a Real Betis win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.65%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (8.75%) and 1-2 (8.38%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (13.07%), while for a Granada win it was 1-0 (10.21%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with an 8.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Real Betis would win this match.
