Barcelona returns to play tonight at the Benito Villamarin for a very challenging La Liga match against Real Betis after a spirited Catalan Derby victory away to Girona over the weekend.
The Spanish Super Cup semifinal between these two teams, which Barça won on penalties after a very thrilling game, forced a rescheduling of this game, which now takes place three weeks later.
As the head coach of Betis, Manuel Pellegrini continues to excel, and his squad is strong enough to attack and score goals against any opponent. They haven’t won at home in the league since October, and the Super Cup loss was followed by a painful league loss. The defense has been a problem lately. Their self-confidence took a hard hit as they were eliminated from the Copa del Rey at home. But a wounded lion is always a threat.
While the injured Ousmane Dembélé won’t be available for the Blaugrana, Robert Lewandowski will be returning from his suspension and eager to help his club to an important victory.
