Fresh from impressive European wins, Real Betis and Real Sociedad will continue their respective La Liga campaigns with an intriguing contest at Estadio Benito Villamarin on Sunday night.
Real Betis recorded a 3-0 victory over Gent in the first leg of their Conference League knockout round playoff on Thursday, while Real Sociedad beat FC Midtjylland 2-1 in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round playoff.
Match preview
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Real Betis are in an excellent position when it comes to reaching the knockout round of the Conference League courtesy of their three-goal success against Gent on Thursday, and there was another goal for on-loan Manchester United attacker Antony, who has now netted twice in his opening three appearances for the club.
Manuel Pellegrini's side were beaten 3-2 by Celta Vigo in La Liga last weekend, though, and they currently sit 11th in the La Liga table, boasting 29 points from their opening 23 matches of the campaign.
The Green and Whites are only two points behind seventh-placed Real Sociedad and just six from Rayo Vallecano in sixth, but they could also qualify for next season's Europa League by winning the Conference League.
Real Betis have only lost two of their 11 home league matches this season, but they have posted just four wins in front of their own supporters, and it has been an underwhelming domestic campaign to date.
The Seville outfit have also lost their last two league matches against Real Sociedad, including a 2-0 defeat when the two sides locked horns for the reverse match earlier this season.
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Real Sociedad beat Midtjylland 2-1 in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round playoff on Thursday, with Brais Mendez and Takefusa Kubo on the scoresheet for the Basque outfit at MCH Arena.
The White and Blues also beat Espanyol 2-1 in La Liga last weekend, while they qualified for the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey courtesy of a 2-0 success over Osasuna at the start of the month.
It is an incredibly busy period of the campaign for Imanol Alguacil's side, as they will play their return leg against Midtjylland either side of league games with Real Betis and Leganes, before ending the month with the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at home to reigning Spanish and European champions Real Madrid.
Real Sociedad have underwhelmed for large parts of this La Liga season, but they are currently in seventh spot, only four points behind sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano in the race to qualify for Europe.
La Real could qualify for next season's Champions League by winning the Europa League this season, meanwhile, and there is certainly enough quality in their squad to advance deep into the European competition.
Team News
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Real Betis will be without the services of Romain Perraud through suspension due to the milestone yellow card that he picked up in the 3-2 defeat to Celta in the league last time out.
Meanwhile, Hector Bellerin, Pablo Fornals, Aitor Ruibal and William Carvalho are out of the match through injury.
Head coach Pellegrini could recall Adrian, Johnny Cardoso and Diego Llorente into his XI following the European clash on Thursday night, but Giovani Lo Celso will keep his spot, while Cedric Bakambu is expected to be preferred to Vitor Roque through the middle.
As for Real Sociedad, Hamari Traore is a long-term absentee due to a serious knee injury, while Alvaro Odriozola and Igor Zubeldia are also expected to miss the contest due to fitness problems.
There will be changes to the side that started in the Europa League last time out, with key duo Mikel Oyarzabal and Martin Zubimendi set to earn recalls for the Basque club, while Sergio Gomez and Nayef Aguerd are also in line for spots in the side.
Sheraldo Becker and Luka Sucic could also be introduced, with head coach Alguacil preparing to ring the changes due to the relatively quick turnaround for this match.
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Adrian; Sabaly, Llorente, Natan, Rodriguez; Cardoso, Roca; Antony, Isco, Lo Celso; Bakambu
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Aramburu, Elustondo, Aguerd, J Lopez; Sucic, Zubimendi, Marin; Becker, Oyarzabal, Gomez
We say: Real Betis 1-1 Real Sociedad
It is always difficult to predict how teams will perform off the back of European matches, and the fact that both were in action during the week makes this even more complicated. Real Sociedad arguably pack a bigger punch, but Real Betis have only lost twice at home in the league this season, drawing five times, and we are predicting another stalemate here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
