Preview: Real Betis vs. Alaves – prediction, team news, lineups

Real Betis will aim to bounce back from successive defeats when they host Alaves in La Liga on Saturday night.

The home team, which is number 10 in La Liga tablewere on the end of a 5-1 drubbing by Barcelona in the last 16 stage of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night, while 17th-placed Alaves will enter the competition after a 1-0 home defeat to Girona in La Liga last weekend.

Match preview

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Real Betis boast a record of six wins, seven draws and six defeats from their 19 league games this season, with a total of 25 points, leaving them 10th in the table, three points behind seventh-placed Real Sociedad.

Consistency has been an issue too Manuel Pellegrinis side this term, but they are just five points off the European places ahead of league games against Alaves and Mallorca to end the month.

The Green and Whites have won four, drawn four and lost one of their nine home league games this term and will welcome an Alaves outfit with just one away win to their name in Spain’s top flight during 2024-25 – the campaign.

However, Real Betis have lost their last two matches, going down 1-0 to struggling Real Valladolid in La Liga last weekend, before suffering a 5-1 defeat to Barcelona in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night.

Each of the last three La Liga games between these two sides have finished level, but Real Betis are unbeaten against Saturday’s opponents in Spain’s best game since July 2020, which is a seven-match run.

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Alaves finished 10th in La Liga last season, representing an excellent campaign on their return to the top flight, but it has been a difficult first half of the 2024-2025 campaign for the Basque outfit.

A record of four wins, five draws and 10 defeats from 19 games has left them with 17 points, just enough for 17th place, just one point above Espanyol in 18th place from the same number of games.

Eduardo CoudetThe team played four straight league matches against Leganes, Osasuna, Athletic Bilbao and Valencia in late 2024 before opening 2025 with a 1–0 home defeat to Girona.

Alaves have not won in La Liga since a 1-0 success over Mallorca at the start of November and their struggles when it comes to winning games is a real concern at such an important stage of the season.

Real Betis La Liga form:

Real Betis form (all competitions):

Alaves’ La Liga form:

Alaves form (all competitions):

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Real Betis will certainly be without the services of Marc Roca, Hector Bellerin and William Carvalho this weekend, while Rui Silva, Giovani Lo Celso and Ezequiel Avila are all doubts for the Sevilla outfit.

Head coach Pellegrini is ready to introduce Vitor Roque back in a League XI, with the 19-year-old on the scoresheet against parent club Barcelona in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, while he has bagged four top-flight goals this term.

Juanmi is expected to keep his place, but there will be changes from the Copa del Rey match, with Youssouf Sabaly, Ricardo Rodriguez and Abbe Ezzalzouli all in line for places in the XI.

Regarding Alaves, Antonio Sivera is doubtful due to a hand injury, but the visitors are otherwise in strong form, med Carlos Martin and Joan Jordan are expected to be fit despite being taken off in the first half of the team’s last game.

After being knocked out of the Copa del Rey at the start of December, the Basque outfit have not featured since their 1-0 home defeat to Girona and the squad could be bolstered by the return of Luke Romero and Santiago Mourinho.

Kike Garcia has bagged five La Liga goals this season and the 35-year-old is again expected to operate in the final third of the pitch, while there should also be a striker role for Jon Guridi.

Real Betis possible starting line-up:
Vieites; Sabaly, Llorente, Natan, Rodriguez; Altimira, Cardoso; Juanmi, Isco, Ezzalzouli; Roque

Alaves possible starting line-up:
Owono; Tenaglia, Abqar, Diarra, M Sanchez; Vicente, Jordan, Blanco, Martin; Guridi, Garcia

We say: Real Betis 2-1 Alaves

The last three La Liga matches between these two teams have finished level, including goalless draws in their last two encounters; we expect this to be close on the scoreboard, but Real Betis’ strong home record, combined with Alaves’ struggles on their travels, should mean Pellegrini’s side pick up all three points.

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

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