- Girona are unbeaten in three (W2, D1) and are in a good mood after a 1-0 home win over Villarreal and 1-1 away draw against Real Madrid.
- Betis are winless in their last five in all competitions (D3, L2) and have failed to win any of their last three away fixtures (D2, L1).
- The last meeting between these two at Estadio Benito Villamarín finished 1-1, four months ago.
Tactical match-up of pressing vs possession
Girona will look to press Betis and then get players in behind Betis' back four, so Betis will look to play the ball wide and utilise their full-backs to try and stretch the game. It should be a fascinating tactical matchup at Montilivi on Tuesday night.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini is likely to set his side up in a possession-based style and he will deploy his creative No.10 and full-backs to make the pitch wide and exploit space behind Girona’s forwards.
Michel has made his side very difficult to play against at home by setting up in a 4-3-3 and pressing their opponents high up the field. They have found some joy in the transition after the ball is won and their narrow midfield will aim to overload Betis’ midfield in an attempt to close down their wide players.
Betis have the quality to nick it
Betis have the better player quality across the pitch and should have enough to take all three points on the road. Odds of 2.85 on an away win look reasonable, while Over 2.5 goals and BTTS - Yes also come in at a small profit at 1.93 and 1.63 respectively.
Girona have won six, drawn four and lost five at home in LaLiga this season, scoring 1.13 goals per match and conceding 1.40 per match. Betis have won four, drawn eight and lost four on the road in the top-flight, conceding 1.38 goals per away match.
The average total goals scored when Girona play Betis at Montilivi is 4.5, with 2.0 scored by Girona and 2.5 by Betis, which is why I’m expecting an end-to-end affair on Tuesday.
Girona have won their last two home games, so I don’t see them having any issues breaking through a Betis side that has been winless in their last five matches.
Vanat to fire Girona’s final third
Vladyslav Vanat is Girona’s top scorer this season with nine goals in 27 LaLiga appearances, but Juan Hernandez has been Betis’ most reliable source for goals, scoring eight in 26 games in the Spanish top-flight.
I’m siding with Real Betis to snatch the win on the back of Hernandez’s fine form in the final third, but it’s going to be close, and probably dramatic, in the Catalan town on Tuesday.
