Betis vs Levante – News and Probable Lineups

Levante aims to ensure their place in La Liga when they visit La Cartuja for a match against Real Betis this Saturday.

Heading into the final fixtures, the visitors sit in 15th position in La Liga, while Betis have already secured a fifth-place finish and a spot in the Champions League.

Match overview

Betis confirmed their fifth-place finish in La Liga with a narrow 2-1 win at home against Elche earlier this month.

Thanks to an additional Champions League slot for La Liga, Betis is now gearing up to participate in UEFA’s prestigious tournament for the first time since they reached the group stage in the 2005-06 season.

Under Manuel Pellegrini, Los Verdiblancos have now secured a top-seven finish for six consecutive seasons, a notable improvement compared to just one such finish in the five seasons before Pellegrini took charge in 2020.

Pellegrini’s team will be striving to get back to winning ways in their final match of the season after their unbeaten league streak of seven games ended with a 3-1 loss away to La Liga champions Barcelona last Sunday.

They still have an opportunity to extend their unbeaten streak at La Cartuja, having gone 10 home league matches without a defeat since they lost to Barcelona in December (W5, D5).

Betis has also won five of their last six home fixtures against Levante (L1), winning their last three encounters.

Levante arrives on the final day amidst a fierce five-team struggle to avoid relegation, with merely two points separating them from the relegation zone before the concluding round of matches.

The Granotes find themselves in a solid position to prevent an immediate drop to the second division after winning six of their last nine matches (D1, L2), including victories in each of their last three outings.

Following 3-2 wins over Osasuna and Celta Vigo, Luis Castro’s team secured a crucial 2-0 victory last Sunday against Mallorca, a result that pushed the Granotes out of the relegation zone while leaving Los Bermellones close to demotion.

Carlos Espi opened the account with his 10th La Liga goal this season, before Kervin Arriaga scored the pivotal second in the 85th minute, shortly after Levante’s Roger Brugue and Mallorca’s Johan Mojica were sent off for their actions.

Dela’s missed penalty was insignificant as Levante celebrated their fifth consecutive home victory, meaning they only require a single point to assure their top-flight status.

Even with a loss at La Cartuja, they would drop into the relegation zone only if Girona triumphs over Elche, Osasuna gathers at least a point against Getafe, and Mallorca fails to defeat Real Oviedo.

A win this Saturday would mark their first back-to-back away league victories of the season.

Team News

The hosts will be without the injured trio of Marc Bartra, Aitor Ruibal, and Angel Ortiz.

Midfielder Sergi Altimira is uncertain after missing the defeat to Barcelona due to a calf issue.

Defender Diego Llorente and forward Cucho Hernandez return from one-match suspensions due to yellow card accumulations.

On the visitors’ side, Unai Elgezabal and Carlos Alvarez will not feature due to knee and ankle injuries respectively.

Brugue is serving a suspension for the season finale, and Jeremy Toljan is doubtful after leaving the field in the first half of the match against Mallorca.

Victor Garcia is expected to return to the squad after participating in training following his absence on matchday 37.

Real Betis probable starting XI:

Valleys; Bellerin, Llorente, Natan, Rodriguez; Fornals, Amrabat, Isco; Antony, Abde, Cucho

Levante probable starting XI:

Ryan; Perez, Dela, Moreno, Sanchez; Olasagasti, Arriaga, Martinez, Losada; Espi, Romero

Betis may not have much at stake, but they will be eager to end their season on a high in front of their home crowd, and with their recent two home victories, we anticipate they will secure all three points, leaving Levante to depend on results from other matches in their survival efforts.