La Liga | Gameweek 38

May 23, 2025 at 8pm UK

Estadio Benito Villamarin

Real Betis vs Valencia

Match preview

Betis ultimately fell short of Champions League qualification, taking just two points from their previous three league matches.

Manuel Pellegrini's team had to settle for draws against Osasuna and Rayo Vallecano, and a heavy 4-1 defeat to Atlético Madrid effectively ended their hopes of finishing in the top five.

Nevertheless, Betis can be satisfied that they have secured a top-six finish for the fourth time in five seasons, earning themselves a place in the Europa League for the 2025–26 campaign.

Their current focus is on next Wednesday's Conference League final against Chelsea in Poland, where Los Verdiblancos will be dreaming of winning their first-ever European trophy.

Betis' participation in the final has resulted in their final league game being moved to Friday evening, giving them an additional 48 hours to prepare compared to their Premier League opponents. This has prompted criticism from Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, who has expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation.

Los Verdiblancos will be feeling confident ahead of the showdown in Poland, having won three of their last five home La Liga matches against Valencia (D2), including a dominant 3-0 victory in last season's match at the Benito Villamarín.

Valencia are out of the running for European football after back-to-back defeats dashed their hopes of finishing in the top eight.

Their 10-game unbeaten run ended with a narrow 1-0 loss to Alavés, and they suffered a repeat of that scoreline on Sunday against Athletic Bilbao, following Gorka Guruzeta's second-half effort.

Nevertheless, these results do nothing to diminish the remarkable work of Carlos Corberan since he took charge at the beginning of 2025. He has guided a team that was four points from safety to the relative security of 12th place.

Having collected 45 points from 37 matches, Valencia are now just one point behind Real Sociedad in 11th place and two points behind Mallorca in 12th, meaning they could still achieve a top-half finish for the third time in four seasons.

Los Che are looking to complete a league double over Real Betis after cruising to a 4-2 victory in the home fixture in November, thanks to a brace from Hugo Duro and goals from César Tárrega and Diego López.

To achieve this, Valencia will have to beat Betis in a La Liga game at the Benito Villamarín for the first time since securing a narrow 2-1 victory in April 2019.

Recent Performance

Real Betis La Liga form:WWWDDL

Real Betis form (all competitions):WWDDDL

Valencia La Liga form:DDWWLL

Team News

Betis will be without the injured quartet of Héctor Bellerín, Diego Llorente, Marc Roca and Chimy Ávila.

The availability of Youssouf Sabaly, Johnny Cardoso and Francisco Vieites is also in doubt.

Pellegrini is likely to rest key players such as Isco and Antony ahead of next week's Conference League final against Chelsea.

William Carvalho and Cucho Hernández could start because neither player is registered to play in the Conference League.

As for the visitors, Thierry Correia remains unavailable due to a long-term injury, while Lopez will have to be assessed after being forced off at the weekend with a hamstring issue.

Defender Dimitri Foulquier is also doubtful for Friday's fixture, having sat out the last two matches due to illness.

Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to play his final game for Valencia before officially joining Premier League champions Liverpool in the summer.

If Lopez is unable to play, Ivan Jaime could come into the side, while Duro is set to return to the starting lineup. The striker will be looking to add to his 11-goal league tally.

Possible starting lineup

Real Betis possible starting lineup:

Adrian, Ortiz, Bartra, Mendy, Perraud; Carvalho, Altimira; Abde, Lo Celso, Rodriguez; Cucho

Valencia possible starting lineup:

Mamardashvili; Mosquera, Diakhaby, Tarrega, Gaya; Rioja, Barrenechea, Guerra, Jaime; Almeida, Duro