Betis is in a slump and the machine has little hope
Manuel Pellegrini's Betis have suffered a major blow in recent weeks, losing back-to-back league games to Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Rayo Vallecano and Girona.
In fact, since the 2-1 home win over Athletic Bibao on 25 February, the Green and White have not picked up three points in La Liga. The poor record dropped them to eighth place in the standings.
The Sevillans are currently two points behind seventh-placed Valencia and seven points clear of sixth-placed Real Sociedad with just eight games left to catch up if they are to qualify for European competition again in 2024-25.
In the last three seasons, Betis have finished sixth, fifth and sixth in the league. Therefore, eighth place would be a step back for them. However, a win on Friday will boost their morale and prepare them for the crucial upcoming clash with Valencia and local rivals Sevilla.
This season, Betis have scored 27 points at home and lost just two games. Their opponents, Celta de Vigo, have won just three of their 15 away games this season.
Celta's form has picked up, but the pressure of relegation is still huge
Last month, Celta sacked head coach Rafa Benitez and replaced him with Claudio Giraldez.
As it turned out, the team got four points under the leadership of the two managers. They beat Sevilla 2-1 on 17 March and drew a goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano in the last round.
However, Celta are still a long way from relegation. They are currently 17th in the table, just three points above the relegation zone.
The Vigo side have been playing in La Liga since 2012 and given the quality of their squad, relegation would be a big upset.
At the end of the month, Celta will also face Las Palmas and Alaves. It is worth mentioning that they have won their last three meetings with Real Betis, including a 2-1 win away earlier this season. They are unbeaten against the Green and White since May 2021.
summary
Betis have been surprisingly poor against Celta Vigo recently, losing four of their last five meetings. Celta, on the other hand, have seen a recent upturn in form and they will be more confident of taking away the points. Despite Betis having home advantage, Celta have lost just one of their last three away games. We're expecting a close game with Celta de Vigo expected to snatch a valuable point at Betis' home ground. We anticipate that Real Betis 1-1 Celta.