Barça look to build momentum and stay top of the table with another road trip.
Barça come into this one boosted by their victory and Real Madrid’s loss to Athletic Bilbao, which restored Barça’s advantage at the top of the table despite Madrid’s game in hand and gave the Blaugrana a much-needed uplift in confidence going into a crucial stretch of games to end 2024.
Hansi Flick’s side will also face Borussia Dortmund and Atlético Madrid on the road this month, and this weekend’s clash against Betis is a perfect way to prepare for a hostile atmosphere and a really good, really well-coached team.
Even though this isn’t exactly the same scary Betis side of recent years, mostly due to injuries to key players that have hurt their continuity and have forced manager Manuel Pellegrini to rely too much on young players who have been a bit inconsistent throughout the season, the Verdiblancos still deserve a ton of respect and remain really hard to beat at home.
Barça fans know that trips to Betis almost always guarantee a highly entertaining, high-scoring game that could go either way.
And considering Flick’s chaotic style with an offside trap that will be severely tested by the pace of a couple of former Barça players in Ez Abde and Vitor Roque, there’s a really good chance the Catalans will face a ton of dangerous moments and Iñaki Peña will need to have a great afternoon as a shot-stopper and sweeper keeper.
But the Betis backline will also be facing a huge test as the Barça machine returned to its devastating best in the second half against Mallorca and will have Robert Lewandowski back in the lineup, reuniting the lethal forward trio alongside Raphinha and Lamine Yamal and presenting a massive threat to a Betis defense that has been vulnerable all season.
There’s no way this isn’t a whole lot fun, with a whole lot of goals. The only question will be how efficient Barça can be up front and how well their high line works to limit Betis’ chances.
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Peña; Kounde, Cubarsí, Iñigo, Balde; Casadó, Gavi; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
Real Betis (4-2-3-1): Silva; Sabaly, Llorente, Bartra, Perraud; Altimira, Guirao; Ruibal, Lo Celso, Ez Abde; Roque.
