After conquering the FIFA Club World Cup, Barcelona return to La Liga as they host Real Betis at the Camp Nou. The defending champions are comfortable sitting at the top of the league table level on points with Atletico Madrid and two points ahead of fierce rivals Real Madrid, having played a game less than both the Madrid teams.
On the other hand, Real Betis are 12th in the La Liga standings with 20 points from 16 games.
Trending
Barcelona became the World Champions after beating River Plate 3-0 in the Club World Cup final to win their fifth trophy of the year, while Real Betis managed a 0-0 draw at home against Sevilla. Luis Enrique’s team will be hoping to return to winning ways in the league after dropping points against Deportivo La Coruna in their last league game.
Kick Off & Live Telecast
Date and Time: Thursday, 31st December 2015- 1:00 AM IST
Venue: Camp Nou
Telecast: Sony Pix
Team News
Barcelona
Rafinha and Douglas are the only injury concerns for the home side. Luis Enrique will look to pile the pressure on both the Madrid teams, and is expected to name a strong XI. The dangerous trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar are expected to start up front.
In the midfield, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, and Ivan Rakitic are likely to start, while the back four of Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba is expected to be retained. Claudio Bravo will start ahead of Marc-André ter Stegen in goal.
Real Betis
There are absolutely no injury concerns for the away side, which allows Pepe Mel to select his strongest XI. Though he is likey to start the same team that played against Sevilla, which means Ruben Castro starts up front, with the trio of Cejudo, Ceballos, and Joaquin just behind him.
Petros and N'Diaye are likely to start as holding midfielders, while the back four of Molinero, Gonzalez, Westermann, and Vargas is likely to be retained. Antonio Adan will start in goal for the visitors.
Probable Lineups
Barcelona (4-3-3): Bravo; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar
Real Betis (4-2-3-1): Adan; Molinero, Gonzalez, Westermann, Vargas; Petros, N'Diaye; Cejudo, Ceballos, Joaquin; Castro
Form
Barcelona
The Catalan giants have won just the two games in their last 5 in all competitions, with both the wins coming in the FIFA Club World Cup. They won 3-0 against Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande in the semi-finals, and then went on to win 3-0 against Argentine side River Plate in the finals.
They only managed a draw in their last two La Liga games against Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna, while they also dropped points against Bayer Leverkusen in the last game of the UEFA Champions League group stages as it finished 1-1. Luis Enrique will be hoping to get his team back to winning ways in the league, but they will not underestimate the visitors.
Last 5 games: D-D-D-W-W (Last Game: River Plate 0-3 Barcelona)
Real Betis
The visitors are going through a rough patch of their own as they’ve managed just the one win in their last 5 games in all competitions, and that came against Sporting Gijon in the home leg of the Copa Del Rey. They lost 1-0 against Las Palmas in the league, while managing a draw in the away leg of the Copa Del Rey against Sporting Gijon, and at home against Celta Vigo and Sevilla.
Last 5 games: W-D-L-D-D (Last Game: Real Betis 0-0 Sevilla)
Key Stats
- Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 15 games in the La Liga.
- Lionel Messi will make his 500th appearance for Barcelona if he plays against Real Betis.
- Barcelona have kept 9 clean sheets in their last 15 games in all competitions.
- Barcelona have lost just one game at home between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve in their last 26 games. (22W - 3D - 1L)
Key Battles
Luis Suarez vs Bruno Gonzalez
Luis Suarez is probably the best striker in Europe right now, and is in the best form of his career. The Uruguayan forward was in sensational form during the FIFA Club World Cup scoring a hat-trick in the first game against Guangzhou Evergrande, and twice against River Plate in the finals.
It seems like there is nothing Suarez can’t do, he can be a nightmare for defenders, and Gonzalez should have been made well aware of his qualities by Pepe Mel. Suarez has found the back of the net 24 times for Barcelona this season, and it’s highly likely he’ll do it again against Real Betis if the visitors don’t come up with a strong performance.
Neymar vs Francisco Molinero
Neymar has combined brilliantly with Luis Suarez and has scored 16 goals this season. The Brazilian star can cause trouble for any defender in the world with his pace and trickery on the ball. Neymar has been in sensational form this season, and Molinero has to be at his best if he wants to give his team any chance of taking away points from Camp Nou.
Betting Odds(Bet365)
Barcelona – 1/20
Draw – 16/1
Real Betis – 25/1
Prediction
Barcelona look set to grab all three points at the Camp Nou in tonight’s fixture over Betis after their impressive performances at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Barcelona 3-0 Real Betis
