High-flying Real Betis will be looking to build on the goalless draw at Osasuna when they play host to Valencia, a team that go into this game boosted by the Champions League victory over BATE Borisov. The fact that the two teams could be direct rivals for European places should make this match even more interesting.

Bright start for Betis

Real Betis showed La Liga fans last season what they have been missing when the club were in Segunda, with los Verdiblancos playing some very entertaining ties during the campaign that saw them finish in 13th place. The 5-3 victory over Athletic Bilbao at the start to the new season proved the team haven’t changed much in their style of play, although boss Pepe Mel has been trying to patch up his leaky defence. Four clean sheets in eight league games show that he has somewhat succeeded in his quest, but back to back defeats to Atletico Madrid and Malaga and eight conceded goals in the process suggest otherwise. Therefore, the outcome of the match against Valencia depends on which Real Betis will turn up. Los Verdiblancos have won two and lost two at their Estadio Benito Villamarin this season, whereas they have lost three of their last four home games against Valencia.

Boss Pepe Mel has no fresh injury worries, but Angel Lopez could be handed his debut after recovering from injury.

Ruthless Valencia

Valencia have long been considered the best of the rest in Spanish La Liga, but Atletico Madrid and Malaga are looking to steal the spotlight this season. Los Che have experienced plenty of problems this season, with their results suffering because of the numerous selection issues, but the team are slowly returning to the right track. The 3-0 Champions League win over BATE Borisov was team’s fourth triumph in last five games, and it was their first away victory after 12 games. The impressive result from Belarus should give the players much needed confidence before the trip to Seville, and maybe inspire them to the second successive triumph on the road. Valencia players admit they are much more confident now following back to back wins over Athletic and BATE, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they make it three in a row.

Boss Mauricio Pellegrino is expected to make some changes to the side, with Ever Banega, Jonas and Victor Ruiz all pushing for starting places.

Verdict

Real Betis have been pretty inconsistent of late and they could face a tough task against in-form Valencia. Los Che have not been too impressive on the travels this season, but they appear to be on top of their game at the moment, and there appears to be some value in betting on away win.

Top pick: Valencia Draw no bet   1.80 (4/5) @ bet365

Alternative pick 1: Away win   2.55 (31/20) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Over 2.5 goals   1.93 (13/14) @ 188BET