Leganes vs Real Betis

La Liga relegation fighters Leganes entertain European hopefuls Real Betis in an exciting meeting at Estadio Municipal de Butarque.

Bidding to avoid immediate relegation from La Liga, Leganes halted a five-game winless league run with a narrow 1-0 win against Getafe in their last home outing before Celta Vigo humbled them 2-1 a week ago. Level on points with 17th-placed Alaves ahead of the kick-off, Leganes can climb out of the drop zone by avoiding defeat against Betis, a side they’ve failed to beat across their last three H2Hs (D1, L2), including a 2-0 loss in September’s reverse fixture. On the bright side, they’ve only lost once across their four previous home league matches (W2, D1), with each game (won/lost) in that sequence yielding an identical 1-0 scoreline. Furthermore, they’ve not lost a home encounter against Betis since 1994 (W4, D2).

In the meantime, Betis thrashed Vitoria Guimaraes 4-0 on the road in midweek Europa League action to secure a quarter-final berth while extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to five matches (W4, D1). ‘Los Verdiblancos’ remain firmly embroiled in a race for European football after winning their last four league matches by a combined score of 8-2, including a spirited 2-1 home victory against title-bidding Real Madrid. However, consistency has been a rare commodity for Betis on the road as they’ve alternated between winning (3) and losing (2) across their last five away league matches. Each result (win/loss) featured a narrow one-goal margin, highlighting the potential for a tight contest.