La Liga team introductions: Betis wants to qualify for the Champions League, will they finally step out of the shadow of their city rival?

For quite a long time last season it looked like Betis could be looking at the dream Champions League, they were in 3rd place until the spring, but then came a drop in performance and results and Betis ended up 5 points behind in 5th place. Going into the new season, the goal is clear, to finally step out of the shadow of city rival Sevilla FC and qualify for the elite competition.

The executive team

The experienced Manuel Pellegrini is starting his third season at Betis and it is starting to bear fruit. Last season the Verdiblancos dominated the Copa del Rey, the club’s first trophy since 2005. The Chilean coach has a feel for the line-up, knows when to deploy which players and has a great relationship with the cabin, helped by the ever-playing legend, captain and almost-playing assistant Joaquín.

Goalkeeper

Betis doesn’t have a clear number one in goal. Last season, 39-year-old Chilean veteran Claudio Bravo and 28-year-old Rui Silva split playing time between them. The one with better form usually catches, but Silva tends to get a bit more space. Daniel Martin Fernandez will play the role of number three.

Defence

Marc Bartra, a 31-year-old Spaniard with experience at Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, dominates at stopper. Alongside him, either the experienced German Pezzela, who played most of last season, or Edgar Gonzales can step in.

In addition, Betis brought 25-year-old stopper Luiz Felipe from Lazio, so the competition will be quite good.

On the left flank, 22-year-old Juan Miranda and 29-year-old Alex Moreno will battle it out for the number one spot. Sabaly and Aitor Ruibal will fight it out on the right flank. Last season, however, Hector Bellerín, whose loan spell ended, returned to Arsenal. Betis are still interested in him, however, and it is possible that the Spaniard will return to the Benito Villamarín.

Backup

Betis’ midfield is quite strong, especially the offensive part. The trio of William Carvalho, Andres Guardado and Guido Rodriguez rotate the two shield midfielders.

Up front, though, it’s a big firepower. The position of holding midfielder is insured by the star Nabil Fekir, whose transfer to Betis was not understood by many, as big clubs like Liverpool and Arsenal were interested in him.

Betis have a strong regional presence too. Real Madrid’s Sergio Canales and Juanmi, who scored 16 goals in La Liga last season, are the most frequent players. Ready are 40-year-old veteran Joaquín, who can still help the team, and Barcelona offspring Cristian Tello. In addition, the talented 21-year-old Brazilian Luiz Henrique has arrived from Fluminense.

Attack

The striker position is also well manned by Betis, with Borja Iglesias and Willian Jose fighting for the number one position. Iglesias, nicknamed “Panda”, scored 19 goals last season, while Willian Jose followed him with 10 goals.

Pelegrini can also reach for youngsters Rodri and Diego Lainez if needed.

Ideal line-up

Rui Silva
Ruibal – Felipe – Bartra – Miranda
Carvalho – Guardado
Canales – Fekir – Juanmi
Iglesias

Ranking tip:: 5th place

Source: Betis, La Liga