Barcelona ended their hoodoo at the Anoeta in the first leg of quarterfinals of the Copa Del Rey and later followed it up with a 5-2 thrashing at the Nou Camp to book their berth in the last four. With Real Madrid crashing out with an aggregate loss against Celta Vigo, Barcelona are looking like favourites to win it.
The mercurial Real Betis have been inconsistent in their last six matches with two wins, two losses, and two draws. The team is on a two-game winless mini-streak and are settled in the 13th spot of the league table, nine points above the relegation zone. They drew 0-0 in their last match against Sporting Gijon and have to come up with something extra-special to have any chance of taking points off Barcelona.
Barcelona are on a two-game winning run after being held to a surprising 1-1 draw by Villarreal earlier this month. The team has four wins and two draws in their last six outings, enough only for third place behind Real Madrid and Sevilla in the overall standings.
But they have some sort of momentum now and will look to carry on in the same vein of form. Messi is looking more determined than ever and Suarez also looks to be back in goal scoring form.
Predicted 4-3-3 Barcelona Lineup Vs Real Betis
DEFENCE
Ter Stegen will be in goal. The German hasn’t been in the best of form and needs to step up now. His passing has been suspect at times and along with that his shot-stopping skills have taken a beating. He needs to be more assertive. Sergi Roberto will be at right-back. The winger turned defender has the backing of the manager but needs to cut down on his errors. Gerard Pique’s return has given them a huge boost and he will be marshalling the back four along with Samuel Umtiti. Jordi Alba will be at left-back and will look to stamp more of his authority in the game.
MIDFIELD
Andres Iniesta is unlikely to be fit for this one and will miss the match. Along with him, Sergio Busquets is also a doubt. That will probably see Andre Gomes in a withdrawn role and Ivan Rakitic and Arda Turan in a midfield 3. Denis Suarez’s recent displays will give him a strong chance of a starting berth.
ATTACK
Neymar will look to enhance his end product which has deserted him lately and although his link up play has been good, a goal or two will give him some much-needed confidence. Lionel Messi will be on the opposite flank on the right side while Luis Suarez will be leading the line.
