Since now no more La Liga game will take place on Friday or Monday nights. It forced a change in the previously planned schedule of the Spanish top-flight football league. The fixture between Real Betis and Valladolid was to be played on 19th August. But now the game has been moved to 18th August. The clash will start at 8:45 pm local time. Estadio Benito Villamarin of Seville will host the game. This will be the very first game of the season for both the sides and the home side will be looking for their first victory of the season. Los Verdiblancos finished 10th in the league table last season. On the contrary, the visitors should be happy with a draw on this occasion. They had an average last season, where they occupied the 16th position in the ladder.
Match Details:
- Participating Teams: Real Betis vs Valladolid
- Competition: La Liga
- Match Day: 01
- Date: 18th August 2019
- Time: 7:45 pm BST/ 6:45 pm GMT/ 8:45 pm Local Time
- Day: Sunday
- Venue: Estadio Benito Villamarin
- Location: Seville, Spain
- Capacity: 60,720
Real Betis Squad:
- Goalkeepers: Daniel Martin Fernandez, Joel Robles.
- Defenders: Zouhair Feddal, Junior Fipro, Antonio Barragan, Sidnei, Marc Bartra.
- Midfielders: Ryad Boudebouz, Victor Camarasa, Darko Brasanac, Giovani Lo Celso, Alfonso Pedraza, Joaquin, Javi Garcia, Aissa Mandi, Sergio Canales, Andres Guardado, Willaim Carvalho.
- Forwards: Juanjo Narvaez, Emerson, Juanmi, Lorenzo Moron, Diego lainez, Emerson, Cristian Tello.
Valladolid Squad:
- Goalkeepers: Churripi, Jordi Masip.
- Defenders: Federico Barba, Kiko, Fernando Calero, Luismi, Javi Antonito, Javi Moyano, Nacho Martinez.
- Midfielders: Javi Sanchez, Akvaro Aguado, David Mayoral, Joaquin,Fede San Emeterio, Jorge de Frutos, Hervias, Anuar, Toni Villa, Ruben Alcaraz, Michel.
- Forwards: Chris Ramos, Waldo Rubio, Sandro Ramirez, Marcos de Sousa, Enes Unal, Oscar Plano, Stiven Plaza, Sergi Guardiola.
Real Betis Last 5 Matches:
- 2-0 Win vs Real Madrid
- 2-1 Win vs Huesca
- 0-1 Defeat vs Eibar
- 1-1 Draw vs Espanyol
- 0-4 Defeat vs Levante
Valladolid Last 5 Matches:
- 0-2 Defeat vs Valencia
- 2-1 Win vs Rayo Vallecano
- 1-0 Win vs Athletic Bilbao
- 0-1 Defeat vs Atletico Madrid
- 1-0 Win vs Girona
Predicted Result: Real Betis 2 – 0 Valladolid
Match Preview: As it will be the season opener for both sides, it’s tough to call how they will line up in this encounter. But the teams will certainly try to utilize their preseason experiences. Betis is the stronger team on the pen and paper. They will also have the home crowd behind them. So their head coach Rubi should go with attacking tactics for sure. He might apply a 4-2-3-1 formation. Andres Guardado, Giovani Lo Celso will be the key player for the hosts.
The Pucelanos will play as the underdog in this clash. So a defensive option will be safer for Sergio Gonzelez’s side. 4-4-2 is the most likely formation, which they will choose to go with. Enes Unal would be their main man at the front and will take some taste of the opposition defenders as well.
I expect the host to keep a clean sheet in this game. I’m guessing a dominating performance from the Verdiblancos. My prediction for this clash is a 2-0 victory for Real Betis.