Danger Surrounds Barcelona On and Off the Pitch
Barcelona, the current leader of La Liga, faces threats from all directions ahead of their league campaign resumption this weekend.
On the pitch, the Catalan side will host the dangerous Real Betis, a team that has been thriving lately thanks to the skills of Brazilian winger Antony and the goal-scoring form of their star, Isco.
Betis, undefeated in La Liga for nearly two months, has won their last six matches, including a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid, scoring 13 goals in that stretch.
However, history favors Barcelona, as they have won 19 of their last 23 encounters against Betis in the league. Moreover, Betis has suffered four defeats in their last six visits to Barcelona, conceding nine goals and failing to score in the last two encounters.
Off the pitch, Barcelona faces a financial challenge as La Liga has declared that the club does not have the necessary funds to register Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor, casting doubt on their eligibility pending a decision from Spain’s Higher Sports Council.
Barcelona had secured a deal to sell VIP boxes at the temporarily closed Camp Nou for approximately €100 million, aiming to create financial space for player registrations within La Liga’s financial fair play regulations.
However, the league revealed that Barcelona had used an unrecognized auditor between December 31 and January 3 to register this deal in their financial records. The current auditor did not include it in the club’s interim financial reports for the first half of the season.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta responded firmly to La Liga’s stance, stating: “They are attacking our interests. They cannot beat us on the pitch, so they act off it.”
He added: “Trust me, my response to La Liga and (its president) Javier Tebas will be strong. As president, I cannot allow this to happen.”
Key Indicators to Predict the Right Score and Win Valuable Prizes with Betway:
Barcelona has won 19 of their last 23 La Liga matches against Real Betis (2 draws, 2 losses), their second-most wins against any team since the 2012-13 season after Sevilla (20).
Real Betis has won two of their last six away league games against Barcelona (4 losses), which is one more than in their previous 22 visits (1 win, 3 draws, 18 losses).
Barcelona is on a nine-game winning streak in La Liga, their longest under a single manager since Luis Enrique’s 12-game run in March 2016.
Betis is on a six-game winning streak in La Liga. A win against Barcelona would set their longest-ever winning streak in the competition (previously achieving six in 1934, 1960, and 2018).
Barcelona’s top scorer, Robert Lewandowski, has netted 25 goals in 28 league games this season—the highest tally by any player in their first 28 matches for the club since Lionel Messi in 2018-19 (26 goals).
Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini has lost 19 of his 27 league encounters against Barcelona (5 wins, 3 draws).
As Barcelona battles off-pitch challenges, Real Betis remains a real threat on the field. In moments like these, Betway stands as the number one betting site in UAE, offering the best odds for every football fan.
