Real Betis will be hosting Rayo Vallecano on Thursday in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie.
The hosts will enter the contest with a narrow 2-1 lead to defend after an away victory in Madrid in early February.
After advancing past CFI Alicante, Talavera and Real Valladolid in the early stages of this season’s Copa del Rey, Real Betis’ first ajor challenge came in the round-of-16 tie with Sevilla, and they progressed with a 2-1 victory through goals from Nabil Fekir and Sergio Canales, before defeating Real Sociedad 4-0 in the quarter-finals.
Real Betis come into the second leg looking to add to an already strong season, having recently secured their spot in the Europa League round of 16 with a 3-2 aggregate win over Zenit St Petersburg.
They have enjoyed an outstanding La Liga campaign so far, currently sitting third with 46 points from their 26 games, although they enter Thursday’s fixture off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Sevilla at the weekend.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side will now look to bounce back from that disappointment and ensure they emerge from the two-legged tie victorious.
Rayo Vallecano will arrive in Sevilla aiming to overturn a deficit against the odds and book a spot in this season’s Copa del Rey final.
In a positive first half to the season all round, with Andoni Iraola’s side placing in the top six of the La Liga table for early stretches, they quickly progressed through rounds of the domestic cup competition, defeating Mirandes and Girona.
Rayo Vallecano then met Mallorca in the quarter-final, and they progressed with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Oscar Trejo’s goal.
They have lost their last five games in all competitions, and they will be desperate to correct their form to reach the Copa del Rey final.
Real Betis vs Rayo Vallecano head to head
The two teams have previously met on 28 occasions across all competitions, where Betis have taken 11 victories while Vallecano have won in 8, and they have drawn in 9. Vallecano have scored 33 goals and conceded 44. In their last five meetings, Betis have won twice and they have drawn in three.
Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Real Betis 31/03/19
Rayo Vallecano (P)2-2 Real Betis 23/01/20
Real Betis 3-2 Rayo Vallecano 24/10/21
Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Real Betis 09/01/22
Rayo Vallecano 1-2 Real Betis 09/02/22
Real Betis latest home form
Betis have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have lost just one of their five most recent matches. They recently picked up a 0-0 draw against Zenit in the Europa League. In their last five matches, they have scored 8 goals and conceded 4.
Real Betis 2-1 Sevilla 16/01/22
Real Betis 4-0 Alaves 18/01/22
Real Betis 0-2 Villarreal 06/02/22
Real Betis 2-1 Mallorca 20/02/22
Real Betis 0-0 Zenit 24/02/22
Real Betis latest away form
Betis lost their last away match 2-1 to Sevilla. However, they have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having been unbeaten in seven matches prior to that. In their last five matches, they have won four and lost one, scoring 14 goals and conceding 7.
Real Sociedad 0-4 Real Betis 03/02/22
Rayo Vallecano 1-2 Real Betis 09/02/22
Levante 2-4 Real Betis 13/02/22
Zenit 2-3 Real Betis 17/02/22
Sevilla 2-1 Real Betis 27/02/22
Rayo Vallecano latest home form
Vallecano have recently been on a poor run of form at home, having won just one of their five most recent matches. They managed to defeat Mallorca 1-0 in the Copa del Rey on February 2. In their last five matches, they have scored 2 goals and conceded 7.
Rayo Vallecano 0-1 Athletic Bilbao 23/01/22
Rayo Vallecano 1-0 Mallorca 02/02/22
Rayo Vallecano 1-2 Real Betis 09/02/22
Rayo Vallecano 0-3 Osasuna 12/02/22
Rayo Vallecano 0-1 Real Madrid 26/02/22
Rayo Vallecano latest away form
Vallecano have recently been on a poor form on the road, having lost their two most recent matches. They managed to defeat Girona 2-1 in the Copa del Rey on January 15. In their last five matches, they have won two and lost three, scoring 4 goals and conceding 7.
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Rayo Vallecano 02/01/22
Mirandes 0-1 Rayo Vallecano 05/01/22
Girona 1-2 Rayo Vallecano 15/01/22
Celta Vigo 2-0 Rayo Vallecano 05/02/22
Elche 2-1 Rayo Vallecano 18/02/22
Real Betis news
Betis will be without defenders Martin Montoya and Juan Miranda who are still in the treatment room, while midfielders Victor Camarasa is also ruled out.
Attacker Juanmi will return to contention after he was suspended for the league game with Sevilla, with William Carvalho and Guido Rodriguez likely to feature.
Rayo Vallecano news
Vallecano will miss out on Oscar Valentin after coming off injured last time out, with the midfielder joining Martin Merquelanz on the sidelines.
Having not scored since last November after an impressive start to life in Madrid, Radamel Falcao has been reduced to subtittute appearances recently, with Sergi Guardiola preferred in attack.
Prediction and Odds
The visistors will be looking to overturn the deficit and will certainly come out and attack, which could leave them open at the back.
However, Rayo Vallecano have recently taken a dip in form, and we do not expect them to have the quality to defeat their hosts who already have the lead.
Odds: 1 1.90 X 2.05 2 2.20
Probable outcomes
Real Betis 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Real Betis 2-0 Rayo Vallecano
Real Betis 2-1 Rayo Vallecano
Real Betis 3-1 Rayo Vallecano
Real Betis 3-2 Rayo Vallecano
