Real Betis will be bidding to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they welcome Espanyol to Estadio Benito Villamarin on Sunday evening.
The home side are 11th in the table, boasting nine points from their opening seven matches, while Espanyol occupy 14th, picking up seven points from their first seven games of the campaign.
Match preview
© Imago
Real Betis have won two, drawn three and lost two of their seven La Liga matches this season to collect nine points, which has left them in 11th spot in the table ahead of the next set of fixtures.
Manuel Pellegrini's side won back-to-back matches against Leganes and Getafe immediately after the international break, but they were then beaten 2-1 by Mallorca before drawing 1-1 with Las Palmas.
The Green and Whites will open their Conference League campaign against Legia Warsaw next week, and they will be expecting to make a big impression in the European competition this season.
Real Betis recorded a 3-1 victory when the two teams last locked horns in April 2023, and they have only lost one of their last nine top-flight meetings with the Catalan outfit.
The Seville outfit finished seventh in Spain's top flight last season, and it would not be a surprise to see them in a similar spot this term, depending on how well they balance European commitments.
© Imago
Espanyol, meanwhile, are back in the top flight after coming through the Segunda Division playoffs, and they are aiming to consolidate in La Liga once again.
The Catalan outfit boast a record of two wins, one draw and four defeats from their seven league games this season, which has seen them collect seven points to sit 14th in the table.
Manolo Gonzalez's side suffered back-to-back defeats to Real Valladolid and Real Sociedad at the start of the campaign, but they then picked up seven points from their next three games, drawing 0-0 with Atletico Madrid before recording back-to-back wins over Rayo Vallecano and Alaves.
Espanyol have lost their last two league games, though, going down to both Real Madrid and Villarreal, conceding six times in the process.
The Catalan team beat Real Betis at home during the 2022-23 La Liga campaign, but they have not managed to overcome Sunday's opponents away from home since October 2016.
Team News
© Imago
Real Betis will be missing five players through injury on Sunday, with Vitor Roque, Youssouf Sabaly, William Carvalho, Marc Bartra and Isco unavailable for selection.
Head coach Pellegrini is expected to introduce Cedric Bakambu into his side following the draw with Las Palmas last time out, which is likely to mean that Assane Diao drops to the bench.
Giovani Lo Celso will again operate in the number 10 position for the Seville outfit, while Pablo Fornals and Johnny Cardoso should also be among the starters on Sunday.
As for Espanyol, Edu Exposito is out of the match due to a ligament problem, but he is expected to be the only absentee for the Catalan team this weekend.
Head coach Gonzalez will have taken plenty of positives from the clash with Villarreal, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field for this match.
However, there may ultimately be one change, with Sergi Gomez potentially coming in for Leandro Cabrera, which was an alteration that took place at the interval of the game against the Yellow Submarine.
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Ruibal, Llorente, Natan, Perraud; Cardoso, Roca; Fornals, Lo Celso, Ezzalzouli; Bakambu
Espanyol possible starting lineup:
Garcia; El Hilali, Kumbulla, Gomez, Olivan; Tejero, Kral, Lozano, Carreras; Puado, Veliz
We say: Real Betis 1-0 Espanyol
Three of the last seven league games between these two teams have finished level, including two at the home of Real Betis, and it would not be a shock to see a stalemate on Sunday, but we just have a feeling that Real Betis will be able to secure all three points in a close affair.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
