Preview: Real Betis vs. Feyenoord · prediction, team news, line-ups
Real Betis host Feyenoord at the Estadio de la Cartuja on Wednesday 21 October, with kick-off at 13:00 Mexico City time, in matchday three of the Champions League league stage.
The Andalusians are 10th with six points. Feyenoord are 24th of 36 with three.
Match preview
Betis arrive with a perfect record in Europe. They won 3-2 at Lille and 3-2 at home to Porto, coming from behind both times. Six points and a goal difference of +2 leave them on the edge of the top eight, who go straight into the last 16.
Domestically, the week was harder. They lost 5-2 to Barcelona on Saturday in La Liga. Before that they thrashed Osasuna 5-2 and drew 1-1 at Deportivo.
Across their last four matches they have scored 11 and conceded 10. They have let in at least one goal in every one of them. Pellegrini rested several starters against Barca with this fixture in mind.
La Cartuja has been a happy ground. Porto were beaten there, and Betis also beat Feyenoord 2-1 on 29 January in the final round of the Europa League league phase. It is the only recent meeting between the sides.
Feyenoord come in on five straight wins. They beat Telstar 4-3, Como 3-2, AZ 2-0, Utrecht 5-0 and PEC Zwolle 7-0. That is 21 goals scored and five conceded in that run.
They also lead the Eredivisie on 23 points from nine games, three clear of AZ, and remain unbeaten in the league. The attack is humming, although they shipped three at Telstar.
Europe has told a different story. They lost 5-1 at the Camp Nou on matchday one before beating Como 3-2 at home. A goal difference of -3 leaves them 24th.
The context matters for both. Betis have five games left, including trips to Dortmund and Bratislava, and a win would bring them closer to automatic qualification. Feyenoord need points away from home to avoid making their league phase harder.
Real Betis · recent results
- LReal Betis 2-5 Barcelona
- WReal Betis 3-2 FC Porto
- WReal Betis 5-2 Osasuna
- DDeportivo La Coruna 1-1 Real Betis
Feyenoord · recent results
- WTelstar 3-4 Feyenoord
- WFeyenoord 3-2 Como
- WFeyenoord 2-0 AZ Alkmaar
- WFeyenoord 5-0 Utrecht
- WPEC Zwolle 0-7 Feyenoord
Key stats
Trends · last 5 matches
Team news
Betis are without Cucho Hernandez, who suffered a calf injury against Barcelona and is out for around a month. Junior Firpo also misses out as he continues to recover from a groin problem. Iker Losada has been left out by Pellegrini.
Aitor Ruibal returns to a matchday squad after five months out following knee surgery and could help to cover for Cucho. Five or six changes are expected from the side that faced Barca, with Natan, Antony, Isco and Parrott returning.
Feyenoord remain without Thomas Beelen (broken leg) and Bos (knee). The press does not expect Nieuwkoop or Van Persie to feature, while Smal and Nelson also appear among the absentees on UEFA's list.
Jakub Moder is the doubt. Spanish reports suggest he could return, while UEFA lists him as unavailable.
Betis have home advantage, attacking rhythm and the return of their key starters, though they concede in every game. Feyenoord are in form and score freely, but their only European away trip ended 5-1. We expect a goalscoring contest and a narrow home win.
Match odds
+18
▶New on YouTube · WerevertumorroREACCIONANDO A UN DIA CON EL CREW 5 - EN VIVOWatch video →