Real Betis vs Mallorca – Real Betis will return to La Liga action on Sunday when they host Mallorca at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, looking to make it four wins in a row in all competitions.
Manuel Pellegrini’s team will look to consolidate their position in the Spanish top flight’s top four, while their opponents have risen out of the relegation zone with back-to-back victories.
Real Betis are now in third place in La Liga after a successful first half of the season, with 43 points from their first 24 games. Only league leaders Real Madrid have scored more goals in league play than Pellegrini’s side, with 45.
Los Verdiblancos have now won seven of their last eight games in all competitions, and they bounced back from their only loss in that run by defeating Levante 4-2 in their most recent league match, thanks to goals from Nabil Fekir and Edgar Gonzalez, as well as goals from William Carvalho and William Carvalho.
However, they will be put to the test, as freshly promoted Mallorca arrive with increased confidence following straight league triumphs.
Los Piratas had a decent start after returning to the Spanish top flight, but they were dragged into the battle for survival when they went on a dismal run between October and January, winning only one of their 13 league games.
That resulted in a four-game losing streak, but Luis Garcia’s team has appeared to have broken out of it since the beginning of February, firstly winning a crucial 2-1 match against fellow strugglers Cadiz due to goals from Salva Sevilla and Vedat Muriqi, both of which came from penalties.
Real Betis vs Mallorca – Team News:
Real Betis are anticipated to revert to a more regular starting XI for Sunday’s encounter after rotating their squad for Thursday’s trip to Russia, with key players like Nabil Fekir, Hector Bellerin, and William Carvalho expected to return from the start.
Fekir, in particular, will be highly relied upon by Pellegrini after his brace against Levante increased his tally to six league goals and six assists for the season.
Injuries have kept defenders Martin Montoya and Juan Miranda out of the lineup, while creative midfielder Victor Camarasa is unlikely to return in time to play.
Willian Jose will be hoping that his goal on Thursday will give him a starting spot for the weekend, however Borja Iglesias will also be competing for a spot in the starting lineup.
Mallorca are dealing with a number of challenges, including the absence of Dominik Greif and Iddrisu Baba, as well as the suspension of Brian Olivan.
Amath Ndiaye, on the other hand, served his own suspension last time out and will return to the lineup.
Vedat Muriqi will return to the attack after starring in the first two league games since joining on loan from Lazio in January, scoring in the win over Cadiz and assisting in the win over Athletic Bilbao.
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Bellerin, Bartra, Pezzella, Moreno; Carvalho, Rodriguez; Juanmi, Fekir, Tello; Iglesias
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Rico; Maffeo, Raillo, Valjent, Costa; Kubo, Sevilla, Galarreta, D Rodriguez; A Rodriguez, Muriqi
Real Betis vs Mallorca – Head-to-Head:
Our Prediction: Both Teams to Score
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