Both Alaves and Real Betis have their sights set on a place in Europe next year. Alaves currently have 35 points and are sitting at sixth in the table. That would earn them a spot in the Europa League if the season were to end today, but the Babazorros are just two points behind Sevilla for a spot in the top four, and they are holding out hope for what would be their first Champions League appearance. Meanwhile, Real Betis are three points behind Alaves and are looking to qualify for European play for the second straight year. However, there are a number of teams within striking distance, and they need to keep winning to feel good about their chances.
Don't miss the Spanish La Liga action from Estadio Benito Villamarin in Sevilla, Spain at 2:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 17, 2019. Catch every moment of the match live on beIN Sports.
La Liga Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Real Betis -136
Alaves +399
Draw +253
Over/Under 2 and 2.5
Odds Analysis
At the moment, Real Betis have a full plate. The club is in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, and they are also taking part in the Europa League. That has stretched them a little thin and led to some up and down results in La Liga. Betis have lost to mid table teams like Leganes and Athletic Bilbao, but they have also been able to defeat third place Atletico Madrid too. They are 6-3-3 at home on the year, yet they will be a little fatigued ahead of this one. Betis must travel to Rennes for a Europa League game on Thursday prior to this one.
Going into the Christmas break, Alaves were in an even better spot in the league. However, a three-game losing streak in January where they couldn’t even score a goal against Getafe, Rayo Vallecano, or Real Madrid left them stuck in the table and allowed other teams to make up ground on them. Fortunately for the club, they finally broke their losing streak on Monday with a 2-0 win over Levante to come within a game of Sevilla for a spot in the top four.
Injury Report
Javi Garcia will be suspended for this match after picking up a red card in Betis’ loss to Leganes on Sunday. Betis will also be without Cristian Herrera Tello as he is dealing with a serious strained hamstring. Marc Bartra has a pulled hamstring and is questionable, while the sensational Junior Firpo might finally return from a hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the past month.
Alaves might not have three players for this match. Martin Aguirregabiria is considered questionable with a thigh injury, while Ximo Navarro has been out since October due to injury. The club is hoping that Rodrigo Ely will be able to return for this one too.
Player to Watch
Jony has been one of the bright spots for Alaves this year. He was brought over on a loan from Malaga, and the club is trying to make him a permanent addition. Jony leads the team with six assists on the season, and he has also added four goals of his own.
Prop Bet: Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score +137
La Liga has not had as many goals as usual this season, but that should be changing soon. Teams have seemingly played more conservative and that has led to the middle of the pack being rather crowded. Over the second half of the season, I see teams spreading things out more in order to create some distance, and we’ll see that here.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
If Betis weren’t playing on Thursday, I would take the hosts here. However, that game will leave them a little more fatigued than their opponents, so I’ll take Alaves to get a result.
Spanish La Liga Odds: Alaves 2, Real Betis 2
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