Real Betis Balompié (5th, 24pts) vs FC Barcelona (1st, 37pts)
Competition/Round: 2025-26 La Liga, Matchday 15
Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Marc-André ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Gavi, Dani Olmo (out)
Real Betis Outs & Doubts: Héctor Bellerín, Sofyan Amrabat, Isco (out)
Date/Time: Saturday, December 6, 2025, 6.30pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 5.30pm GMT (UK), 12.30pm ET, 9.30am PT (USA), 11pm IST (India)
Venue: Estadio La Cartuja, Seville, Spain
Referee: Francisco José Hernández Maeso
VAR: Javier Iglesias Villanueva
How to watch on TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), SuperSport (Nigeria), Movistar (Spain), others
How to watch online: ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports Player (UK), FanCode (India), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Following a crucial win over Atlético Madrid at Camp Nou in midweek, Barcelona return to action for another very important La Liga game as the leaders travel to Seville to face Real Betis at the La Cartuja Stadium on Saturday evening.
Barça come into this one looking to once again put pressure on Real Madrid and open up a temporary four-point gap at the top before their rivals play a tricky home game against Celta Vigo on Sunday, and a sixth consecutive league win would continue to boost the Blaugrana’s title credentials as we head into the second half of the season.
Real Betis is their next challenge, and this promises to be another very tough test for Hansi Flick and his young troops. The stage will be different this time, however, as Betis will spend the next couple of seasons playing at La Cartuja while their iconic stadium, the Benito Villamarín, undergoes major renovation.
Barça know La Cartuja well having just played there last April in a historic Copa del Rey Final, and they’ll be looking to become the third team to beat Betis in their temporary home so far. The Verdiblancos have lost just twice all season in all competitions, but both of them came at La Cartuja in La Liga against Athletic Club and Atlético Madrid.
The loss to Atlético in late October turned out to be Betis’ last defeat, as Manuel Pellegrini’s side have won six of their last eight in all competitions and are coming off a big win in the Seville Derby against eternal rivals Sevilla. This might very well be Pellegrini’s best team in his half-decade in charge of Betis, and they’re getting strong results while still playing some of the most exciting football in Spain.
Betis are built on pressure, quick passing and great pace and skill up front, and Brazilian winger Antony continues to shine since turning his career around after moving to Spain from Manchester United. Midfielder Pablo Fornals is having his best season since his Villarreal days and recently earned a call-up with Spain, and former Blaugrana Marc Bartra continues to lead the defense with his usual poise on the ball and timely tackling.
Betis usually play pretty poorly against Barça in Catalonia, but things are totally different in Seville where the home crowd pushes them to play with great energy, intensity and passion. The games are always full of goals, chances and highlights, and the neutrals are never disappointed when they take two hours out of their day to watch these two go to battle.
This the first time Betis will play Barça at home but not at the Villamarín, however, and it will be interesting to see if there’s any change at all to the atmosphere. Barça famously struggled to generate a true home advantage while spending two and a half years at Montjuïc before returning to Camp Nou, and it can’t be a coincidence that Betis have already lost twice at home in the league when they suffered just three defeats at the Villamarín all of last season.
There’s no way this won’t be a lot of fun, and Barça will be looking to build on an excellent performance against Atlético to win another crucial league game. The Catalans played truly great attacking football and had one of their most solid defensive performances of the season last Tuesday, and doing it again on Saturday will prove this team is on the right track.
Let’s dance.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Martín, Balde; Eric, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Rashford; Ferran
Real Betis (4-2-3-1): Valles; Ruibal, Bartra, Natan, Gómez; Fornals, Roca; Antony, Lo Celso, Ez Abde; Cucho
PREDICTION
These two always put on a show when meeting in Seville, and I think they’ll do it again with Barça finding a way to win and maintain the good vibes: 4-2 to the visitors.
