Conference League finalists Real Betis will continue their push for a Champions League spot in La Liga when they resume their domestic campaign at home to Osasuna on Sunday night.
Real Betis are currently sixth in the La Liga table, one point behind fifth-placed Villarreal, while Osasuna sit ninth, with the team very much in the mix for a European finish heading towards the final stages of the season.
Match preview
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Real Betis drew 2-2 with Fiorentina in the second leg of their Conference League semi-final on Thursday night, with the result securing a 4-3 aggregate success and a position in the final of the European competition against Chelsea on May 28.
Manuel Pellegrini‘s side are therefore just one European victory away from securing some major silverware, but their focus for now will firmly be on La Liga, as the team are in the mix for a Champions League position in Spain’s top flight.
The Green and Whites are currently sixth in the table, one point behind fifth-placed Villarreal and four behind fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao, while they have already secured at least a top-seven finish in the division.
Real Betis have been victorious in each of their last three La Liga matches, beating Girona, Real Valladolid and Espanyol, and their final three league fixtures of the season are against Rayo Vallecano, Atletico Madrid and Valencia.
The Seville outfit have not played Champions League football since the 2005-06 campaign, so there is plenty on the line for the club in the final stages of the season, with a top-five spot enough to qualify for the league stage of the competition for the 2025-26 season.
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Osasuna will not be in the mood to hand out any favours on Sunday, though, as the team have their own European ambitions, currently sitting ninth in the table, level on points with eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano and two points behind seventh-placed Celta Vigo.
Eighth spot would bring qualification for the playoff round of the Conference League, but seventh is direct qualification for the Europa League league stage, which would be an incredible achievement for Vicente Moreno‘s side.
Los Rojillos have not played European football since reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup back in 2007, but they are very much in the European argument with just four rounds of matches left to play.
Osasuna will enter this game off the back of a 4-2 defeat to Villarreal, but they have won three of their last four in Spain’s top flight, overcoming Girona, Real Valladolid and Sevilla before the reverse to the Yellow Submarine.
The Pamplona outfit have lost each of their last three La Liga matches against Real Betis, including a 2-1 defeat in the reverse match earlier this season, while they were beaten 2-1 on their last visit to the Green and Whites in October 2023.
Team News
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Antony has been in incredible form for Real Betis since his arrival on loan from Manchester United in January, and the Brazilian scored his eighth goal for the club in their European clash with Fiorentina on Thursday night.
The attacker will again be in the XI on Sunday evening, while the same can also be said for Isco, who has shown his class throughout the season, with the Spaniard set to continue in the number 10 position.
Ezequiel Avila and Diego Llorente will miss the match through injury, while Marc Roca is a major doubt with a foot problem, and there will be changes from Thursday’s game, with Adrian, Johnny Cardoso, Abde Ezzalzouli and Cucho Hernandez all in line to start.
As for Osasuna, Jon Moncayola remains a doubt due to a thigh problem, but the away side will be boosted by the return of Alejandro Catena, who is available again after missing out against Villarreal through suspension.
Catena will return in the middle of the defence, but it might otherwise be the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against the Yellow Submarine, including a spot in the final third for Ruben Garcia.
Ante Budimir will also start, and the experienced striker will be bidding to add to the 18 league goals that he has scored during an excellent campaign.
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Adrian; Sabaly, Bartra, Natan, Rodriguez; Cardoso, Lo Celso; Antony, Isco, Ezzalzouli; Hernandez
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Areso, Boyomo, Catena, Herrando, Bretones; M Gomez, Torro, Oroz; Ruben Garcia, Budimir
We say: Real Betis 2-1 Osasuna
This has all of the makings of a very interesting match, and Osasuna will certainly be the fresher of the two teams; Real Betis are on a roll at the moment, though, and we are backing Pellegrini’s side to navigate their way to a hugely important three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
