Betis vs Zenit – Zenit St Petersburg will meet Real Betis in the second leg of their Europa League knockout round playoff series on Thursday at the Estadio Benito Villamarin. Following a 3-2 victory in St Petersburg last Thursday, the hosts hold the upper hand in the first leg.

Real Betis have won four games in a row in all competitions heading into Thursday’s match. Last week, Los Verdiblancos got off to a flying start in St Petersburg, with goals from Guido Rodriguez and Willian Jose putting the visitors up 2-0 after just 18 minutes.

After a poor start, Zenit equalized with two quick goals of their own, with goals from Artem Dzyuba and Malcom, until an Andres Guardado strike four minutes before halftime proved to be the winner, giving Real Betis a narrow lead at the halfway point of the tie.

Zenit has had a week to reflect on their 3-2 loss in the first leg, with the Russian Premier League not resuming until this weekend.

Sergei Samak will be saddened not just by the loss, but also by the fact that it ended a five-game unbeaten home run in all competitions.

Although the first leg was Zenit’s first competitive match of 2022, it’s understandable that the hosts got off to a sluggish start last week.

Betis vs Zenit – Team News:

Juan Miranda, Martin Montoya, and Victor Camarasa are all out with injuries for Real Betis. Nabil Fekir will be eligible for Thursday’s match after missing the first leg due to suspension, while Sergio Canales will also play after missing the game in Russia due to COVID-19.

Willian Jose has scored in both of Real Betis’ previous two games, and he is set to lead the line on Thursday. In the meanwhile, Zenit will be without the services of Dejan Lovren and Stanislav Kritsyuk due to injuries.

Ivan Sergeev and Yuri Alberto both made their Zenit debuts last week as substitutes in the first leg, but they may have to wait a little longer for their first starts, as they are set to remain on the bench for the second leg on Thursday.

Real Betis possible starting lineup:

Silva; Sabaly, Pezzella, Gonzalez, Moreno; Rodriguez, Guadrado, Canales; Fekir, Juanmi, Willian Jose

Zenit St Petersburg possible starting lineup:

Kerzhakov; Karavaev, Chistyakov, Rakitskiy, Santos; Wendel, Barrios, Kuzyaev; Malcom, Claudinho, Dzyuba

Betis vs Zenit – Head-to-Head:

Betis vs Zenit
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Our Prediction: Under 3.5 Goals

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