Valencia vs Real Betis 04/10/20

4 October 2020

Valencia and Real Betis go head-to-head at the Estadio de Mestalla in a potentially high-scoring La Liga affair. Indeed, four of their last five league H2H meetings have seen over 2.5 goals and both sides on the scoresheet.

All three of Valencia’s last La Liga fixtures have ended separating the sides by under 1.5 goals (W1, D1, L1), with each featuring one goal or less in the first half of play. The low scoring first-half theme is in line with the hosts’ tendency to keep it tight before half-time that saw just 40% of their total home league goals scored/conceded come inside the first 45 minutes of play in 2019/20. Notably, ‘Los Murciélagos’ were first goal-scorers in both of their previous top-flight outings, which was true in 78.95% of their La Liga home fixtures back last season (15/19). Scoring the opener should not be a problem for Valencia here, considering they’ve managed to shut out Betis in seven of their previous nine competitive H2Hs held at this stadium (W6, D2, L1).

Meanwhile, the visitors have gone from back-to-back La Liga victories to two consecutive defeats, which comes as a consequence of their defensive decline. Indeed, both of Betis’ top-flight wins this season have seen them keep a clean sheet, while two of those losses witnessed them concede precisely three goals apiece. Also, for ‘Los Verdiblancos,’ goals have been at a premium on the road this calendar year. Manuel Pellegrini’s men have drawn a blank in seven of 13 La Liga trips since the calendar flipped, bagging precisely one goal per game in five of the other six. If the Andalusian team do manage to get on the scoresheet here, they are likely to do it before half-time, as four of their five league goals scored this term arrived in the first half of play.