First station, Seville. On the banks of the Guadalquivir and at the foot of the Giralda, where the Real can touch the glory and raise the Cup in April, the first barrage of games of the season begins, seven in 22 crazy days of autumn, with a meeting of the demanding, of the vibrant ones, the pretty ones. Those of Imanol
Sheriff, full of confidence after sweeping Getafe (3-0), visit a Betis (Benito Villamarín, 9 pm, Movistar) full of great players, revitalized and ordered by Manuel
Pellegrini. Duel of possible direct rivals for Europe next May, a very distant future given the current and harsh circumstances. However, the Real starts today with two advantages: the neutralization of the home court factor that always weighs in Benito Villamarín with a dedicated fans that are now absent and a good inertia of the game that has dragged on since last season. Betis aims high, but their journey began a few weeks ago. A few months ago, he was not far from suffering to maintain the category.
There is a juicy lure at stake. A bit of a liar, but real. Whoever wins tonight will be placed first in the standings at the end of the day after Madrid's defeat against Cádiz. The favorites will have one or more games less, but it is a sign that today's contenders in Heliopolis have started burning oil and showing credentials. Betis comes from winning with authority over Valencia (2-0) and has added three victories in five games (they also defeated Alavés 0-1 and Valladolid 2-0), so Real must focus its five senses and put to all his stars on the table to defeat him, without thinking about his initial duel of the Europa League against Rijeka in Croatia next Thursday.
Imanol celebrate the recovery of Januzaj and being able to count on their entire offensive arsenal, since the internationals returned in perfect condition despite the games and the kilometers.
Thus, the coach will also act without even looking sideways at Thursday and beyond the Pyrenees. He will place his best 'eleven', his fetish block, perhaps with a single variant: Willian
José by Isak at the tip of the spear. Januzaj Y Guridi they entered by Merquelanz Y Pacheco on a list again of 22, one less than allowed.
The statistics of Betis – Real Sociedad
Better with Pellegrini
La Real knows how they spend them at Betis at home. In fact, the Andalusian team defeated him 3-0 on January 19 in one of the worst games with Imanol on the bench. It is a rogue field where he has only won 11 of 53 games, three of them in eight games since promotion.
The arrival of Pellegrini has changed the face of a Betis adrift despite its potential in recent years. The Chilean has managed to give meaning to his game by granting freedom of movement to his most talented players: Channels, Fekir, Joaquin and a Tello It has started like a rocket. They accuse the problem of the lack of punch of their battering rams, but they have TNT. With the ex-realist Bravo, already recovered, they have gained in security under the sticks.
However, this European Royal has a special color, like Seville. He's already cruising. First, Seville. Then Rijeka. Good trip.