Real Bétis vs Málaga - The Relegation Battle At Benito Villamarín

Those who followed the campaigns of Real Bétis and Málaga last term could certainly not have anticipated how complicated the current season would be for both of them. Under the helm of Manuel Pellegrini and despite the financial problems, the team from Andalusia ended sixth in Liga BBVA and displayed some attractive football throughout the season. Their Andalusia neighbours commanded by Pepe Mel ended in the seventh place one point behind Málaga and were one of the most positive surprises of La Liga last term.

Next Monday, Real Bétis will entertain their Andalusian neighbours of Málaga at the historical Benito Villamarín for round 31 of Liga BBVA on a very important match for both teams that are battling against relegation ghost that has been haunting them this season.

Real Bétis are going through a very complicated period. They have had three different head-coaches so far this season and supporters never seemed to be able to forgive the team’s board for sacking Pepe Mel. Bétis are on the last place of the league table, seven points behind Osasuna, who are the first team above the relegation zone. After last round’s motivating win against Levante, the team’s current head-coach, Gabriel Calderón, will have several headaches to build up a competitive team for next Monday’s clash against Málaga because of the “injury curse” that is affecting his team. Calderón will not be able to count on Nacho, Chuli, Perquis, Caro, Amaya, Paulao, Nosa, Dídac, and Salva Sevilla, all of them sidelined due to injury.

As for Málaga, next Monday’s match will also be crucial after last round’s home defeat against Espanyol. The team’s campaign has been marked by inconsistent performances. After winning at Los Balaídos against Celta de Vigo, the Andalusia side sucumbed at home at the hands of Espanyol and dropped one place on the league table.

For next Monday’s match, Bernd Schuster will not be able to count on the team’s captain Duda and also on Pablo Pérez, both suspended, and with the Argentinean Fernando Tissone, still struggling with a long term injury.

When both teams met last November, Málaga won 3-2 at La Rosaleda with goals from Santa Cruz, Eliseu and Samuel Garcia. This time, however, things might be different as Real Bétis want to continue their good moment after last round’s win at Levante and after grabbing seven points on the last four matches.

Real Bétis: W-5 L-18 D-7

Recent Form : DWDLW

Málaga: W-8 L-14 D-8

Recent Form: DWLWL

Possible Line-ups

Real Bétis (4-4-2) - Adán - Molina - Ndiaye -Jordi - Chica - Reyes - Nono - Cedric - J. Carlos - R. Castro - Leo Baptistao

Málaga (4-1-4-1) - Caballero - Angeleri - Ferreira - Weligton - Antunes - Darder - Samuel - Portillo - Iakovenko - Amrabat - Santa Cruz

Prediction: Real Bétis 2 Málaga 1 - best odds 8/1 @ William Hill