Bet of the Day

Football Bet of the Day: Xavi and company to fall short again

Barcelona coach Xavi
Xavi is under pressure at Barcelona

We're finishing the week in Seville, and Kevin Hatchard thinks Barcelona can slip up again in their title defence.


Betis v Barcelona
Sunday 21 January, 17:30
Live on LaLigaTV

The goals refused to flow in the Netherlands yesterday, as a red card early in the second half for Twente saw them go on to lose 1-0 at NEC, leaving us a couple of goals short.

We'll head back to Spain to wrap up our fortnight-long stint, because Barcelona are in action away to Real Betis, and it's hard to back the La Liga champions at odds-on.

Barca are sliding into a crisis. They were mauled 4-1 by Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final, and Xavi's team is seven points behind Real in the top flight. Incredibly, they are eight points adrift of Catalan neighbours Girona.

Xavi is of course a club legend, and on some levels he has delivered. He won the league against the odds last term and qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League this season, but the performance levels are nowhere near where they were at times last term.

Barca keep conceding sloppy early goals, and without the effervescent and ultra-determined Gavi, they lack intensity at times when they don't have the ball. In their most recent game, Barca fell behind away to third-tier side Unionistas in the Copa del Rey, and although they recovered to win 3-1, it was a far from impressive display.

Barca now have to visit a Betis team that has lost just three matches in the league this season. Manuel Pellegrini's team often struggles on the road, but at the Benito Villamarin it's a different story. They have recently held the top two Real Madrid and Girona to 1-1 draws, and they were unfortunate not to beat Real. They have gone 11 games unbeaten on home soil in La Liga, and if you go back further they have lost just five of the last 30 top-flight games at their stadium in Seville.

Barca at trading at 1.8910/11 to win this, and I'm content to lay them at that price. Even though Barca won the reverse fixture 5-0, that was in their golden period in September. They are a long way from those performances levels now.

Lay Barcelona at 1.8910/11

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Now read Kev's Bundesliga column here!

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