Barcelona will try to make it four wins in a row when they face Betis at Camp Nou in the fifth round of La Liga on Saturday night. The defending champions, Barca are currently third in the league with 10 points from their first four games of the season, while Betis have seven points and are seventh in the league.
Barcelona had a poor start to the new La Liga season, drawing 0-0 with Getafe, but they then went on to beat Cádiz, Villarreal and Osasuna in three consecutive games. At one point before International Day, their match against Osasuna looked set to end in a draw, with Avila canceling out Jules Kunde's opening goal to put the sides back on level terms in the latter stages of the game, but Robert Lewandowski scored the winning goal in the 86th minute of the match.
Barca are currently third in the table, two points behind leaders Real Madrid, and Xavi's men are now preparing for three consecutive home games, two of which are in the league, when they take on Celta at the Camp Nou next weekend. Barcelona will also have their Champions League group stage opener next week when they host Real Antwerp, and the club are determined to improve in the competition after failing to break out of the group stage in the last two seasons.
On transfer deadline day, Bassana signed João Cancelo and João Felix on loan from Manchester City and Atletico Madrid respectively, and both made their debuts against Osasuna and will look to contribute to another successful season for the club.
Betis, on the other hand, will come into this game on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Rayo, with William Jose scoring the only goal in the 53rd minute of the game. Manuel Pellegrini's side have taken seven points from their opening four games, beating Villarreal 2-1 in their opening match, then they drew with Atletico Madrid before losing their next two games to Bilbao.
Betis finished sixth in La Liga last season, advancing directly to the group stage of the Europa League, and the team will be hoping to end the season high up the table once again. The Green and Whites have lost their last three league games to Barcelona, but they have a history of winning at the Camp Nou, where they recorded a 1-0 victory in December 2021 at the famous stadium.
Barca are still without Pedri and Ronald Araujo, who are both out with injuries, while Ilkay Gündoğan is also likely to be unavailable due to a back injury sustained while playing for Germany on International Match Day.
Gündoğan's injury is not as serious as initially expected, but it is unlikely that he will play in this match. Fermín López will also miss out, with the midfielder suspended for a red card in a Barcelona II match. Cancelo and Felix could make the starting lineup in their debuts, while 16-year-old Lamine Yamal is also expected to start up front again for his stellar performances earlier in the season.
For Betis, Aitor Ruibar, Luis Enrique, Claudio Bravo, William Carvalho and Nabil Fekir are all currently on the sidelines with injuries. Manuel Pellegrini's side sold Luis Felipe to the Etihad before the transfer deadline in the Saudi Premier League, so they will have to tweak their back four from their last game against Rayudo, possibly with Marc Bartra coming in to face his former hosts. William Jose should once again be chosen to start up front, while Carvalho's injury opens up the opportunity for Marc Roca to play alongside Guido Rodriguez in midfield.
Likely starting lineups: Barcelona starting lineup: ter Stegen; Cancelo, Kunde, Christensen, Balde; Romeu, de Jong, Xavi; Yamal, Lewandowski, Felix. Betis starting lineup: Silva; Bellerin, Peixeira, Bartra, Ebner; Rodriguez, Roca; Rodri, Isco, Perez; William José.
SCORE PREDICTION: Barcelona 2-1 Betis This game could be very tricky for Barcelona, and we wouldn't be surprised if Saturday's game ends in a draw. However, with the Catalan side currently on a winning streak and with Lewandowski potentially teaming up with Yamal and Felix, we think hosts Barcelona are on course to win this one.
