Football is back after the international break, and Real Betis and Leganés are the teams in charge of opening Matchday 5 in the Spanish league. The green and white team faces a month of September full of matches, four of them at home, so securing all the points at home seems mandatory to start taking off and getting into the top positions. And the first obstacle is the Leganes.
These two weeks of break have been very long in Heliopolis. And as usual, with a lot of news. It was learned that Isco has had to go through surgery again due to the fact that his fibula fracture is not progressing well, and his participation in 2024 is more than difficult. On the other hand, Rodri packed his bags for Saudi Arabia, in an operation that has left Betis’ coffers with around 8 million euros and that was unavoidable for both parties. The departure of the youth player opens the door to another Betis Deportivo player, Jesús Rodríguez, who has recently renewed until 2029 and who will have his chance to convince Pellegrini. He is not lacking in qualities.
Real Betis are going into the match with the urgent need to avoid slipping up after failing to win in their first three league games. Their last match ended with an honourable defeat at the Bernabéu, where the Seville side played a great game, especially defensively. For their part, Leganés arrive at Villamarín with two draws and a win in their tally, although they lost their unbeaten record against Mallorca in the last matchday (0-1).
Borja García’s boys are behaving at the start of the league like an orderly, intense team, that tries to combine quickly and be very vertical. And curiously, one of their most outstanding players is being Juan CruzThe former Betis player, motivated by facing his former teammates, has scored two goals in these four games.
Goalscoring is one of Real Betis Balompié’s problems, as they have only scored one goal so far in the league. It is true that they were not good in attack at the Bernabéu, but against Girona and Alavés they were lacking in accuracy in front of goal. To solve this goal-scoring urgency, it is not unreasonable to think that Pellegrini will start Vitor Roque. And another player who should be very important in the game, even more so with the long absence of Isco, is Lo Celso, who will surely have minutes in the second half.
In terms of casualties, Manuel Pellegrini will not be able to count on Bakambu, Mendy, Bartra, Isco and John. In the visiting box, Naim y Jorge Saenz they miss the game.
POSSIBLE ELEVENS
Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes has been the referee chosen by the Technical Committee of Referees to direct this match. He will be assisted by Isidro Diaz de Mera from the VOR room. The referee from Gijón has refereed the green and white team on 13 occasions, obtaining a balance of seven wins, three draws and three lossesThe last match in which González Fuertes was present was in the 22-23 season, specifically in Betis’ defeat against Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium (1-0).
Real Betis face a vital month of September to set their sights on a season where the objective is once again to get into Europe. Given how the League has started, European places are sold at a high price. That is why being as close as possible to them is fundamental for the morale of the Verdiblancos, who need victories like they need food.
