Real Betis play host to Leganés at Estadio Benito Villamarín on Sunday afternoon in a match that sees two teams who’re close together in the table go head-to-head.
Neither of these two teams have done anything special this season, in fact quite the opposite, but it is undoubtedly Leganés, as the newly promoted side, who will be happier with the way their campaign has gone so far.
Having earned promotion from the second tier last season, Leganés have adapted well to life in La Liga and should be fairly pleased with the fact that they’re currently sitting above the relegation-zone by four points. It’s probably only a combination of poor luck and missed opportunities that has prevented them from sitting quite a bit higher.
Before the winter-break, Leganés lost out narrowly to Valencia in the Copa del Rey, but their league form was very respectable. They come into this fixture unbeaten in three having secured draws against Eibar, Villarreal and Las Palmas, none of whom are easy to face. Sunday’s visitors have shown that they’re certainly capable of mixing it with the big clubs and they’re fancied to do well here.
At odds of 15/8, ‘Leganés Draw No Bet’ looks a worthy selection. Betis come into this match off the back off two poor results and, in all honesty, have generally been somewhat below the required level for large parts of the season. Against a visiting team who’ve actually defended well for the most part, the hosts could struggle going forward and it would be no surprise if they paid the price defensively.
If you were to look at the visitors’ away record it doesn’t make for great reading; however, this doesn’t tell the full story. Asier Garitano’s team have been good value for each of their three wins on the road, while it’s reasonable to excuse them defeats against an in-form Malaga and the giants that are Real Madrid. Other than that, they’ve coped well and have rarely come under serious pressure in matches.
What could really play into the hands of the away side here is that fact that Betis have looked mainly to play on the counter and have thus thrived against teams who press high up the pitch, but that’s not really the Leganés way. It’s far more likely that the visitors will sit tight and take a more measured approach which means that it will be down to the hosts to force the issue – something they’ve struggled with at times.
Another eye-catching selection in this one is ‘Leganés to Score Over 0.5 Second Half Goals’. The visiting team have preferred to do most of their attacking after the interval when playing on the road. If they can keep things nice and tight during the first 45, then they’re aware that attacking options, often on the counter, will open up. The fact that every single one of their goals on the road this season has come after the break is testament to this and it would be no surprise whatsoever if they managed to catch Betis out in the same manner.
Backing the away side in this one might not be for everyone, it would be easy to assume that Betis are a good bet at home, but results have often flattered them and they’re fancied to struggle here. The team from the Madrid outskirts could quite easily find three points to compliment their run of draws and are certainly worth supporting on the ‘Draw No Bet’ market.
See more tips here.