Villarreal will be looking for their first league win of the new campaign when they host fifth-placed Real Betis on Monday night.
Real Betis have made a very promising start to the season and will look to build on it when they take on a winless Villarreal away from home.
The home team are 17th on the table with just two points in their four outings. They started the season with back-to-back draws, but have suffered defeats in their last two league outings.
The Yellow Submarine are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Having lost each of their last three games, Villarreal will have to put up a much improved performance to stand a chance here.
Real Betis are fifth on the table with nine points in their four outings. They started the campaign with back-to-back 1-0 wins, before getting hammered by Levante (5-2). However, they have bounced back in some fashion with a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in La Liga and a 3-2 win over LOSC Lille in the UCL.
Betis have been doing most things right this season and, given the kind of performances they have put up so far, they will be favourites to claim all three points here as well. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
The home team will be without the services of Carlos Romero (unspecified) and Juan Foyth (muscle) due to injury. Apart from the duo, everyone else should be available for selection.
Villarreal are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Peter Gulacsi set to make his La Liga debut between the sticks. Alex Freeman and Sergi Cardona should feature as the full-backs, while Pau Navarro is likely to partner Renato Veiga in the heart of the defence.
In midfield, Santi Comesana and Nathan Saliba should form the double pivot, with the duo tasked with protecting the backline and ensuring Betis midfielders do not dominate the ball.
Nicolas Pepe and Alberto Moleiro are expected to occupy the wide areas, while Gerard Moreno could take up the number ten role. All three of them will look to link up with Ayoze Perez, who will lead the line for the home team.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Gulacsi; Freeman, Navarro, Veiga, Cardona; Comesana, Saliba; Pepe, Moreno, Moleiro; Perez
Aitor Ruibal remains on the sidelines as he recovers from a knee injury. Meanwhile, Abde Ezzalzouli and Diego Llorente should both be available for selection against Villarreal despite picking up knocks against Real Madrid.
Antony is expected to recover from illness in time to be in the starting XI in this fixture.
Real Betis are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alvaro Valles starting between the sticks. Hector Bellerin and Fran Garcia should feature as the full-backs, while Marc Bartra is likely to partner Natan in the heart of the defence.
In midfield, Marc Roca and Facundo Bernal should form the double pivot, with the duo tasked with protecting the backline and helping Betis control possession.
Antony and Pablo Fornals will feature on the flanks, providing much-needed width to their attacks, while Isco could take up the number ten role behind Troy Parrott, who will lead the line for the home team.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Valles; Bellerin, Bartra, Natan, Garcia; Roca, Bernal; Antony, Isco, Fornals; Parrott
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The 24-year-old Irish striker has had quite an impressive start to life at his new club. He has been involved in four games so far and already has two goals to his name. He scored the only goal in their 1-0 win over Real Madrid and also bagged a goal against LOSC Lille in their 3-2 win in the Champions League.
Parrott has already shown a lot of promise, and Betis will hope he can build on these initial performances. The young striker will look to find the back of the net yet again and help his team secure all three points.
Villarreal will have the advantage of playing at home, but their recent form makes them difficult to back in this fixture. The Yellow Submarine have lost their last three matches and are still searching for their first league win of the campaign, while their defensive struggles could prove costly against a confident Betis side.
Real Betis have won four of their last five games across competitions and will head into this fixture full of confidence after impressive victories over Real Madrid and LOSC Lille. Villarreal could make things difficult at home and should have enough quality to find the back of the net, but Betis’ current form and superior confidence should ultimately help them secure all three points. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the away team.
