Seville’s La Cartuja will host a meeting of LaLiga’s early pacesetters on Saturday 17 October, when unbeaten Barcelona visit a Real Betis side sitting third and carrying ambitions of turning the title race tighter. Álvaro Fidalgo’s Betis have made a strong opening to the campaign, while Barcelona arrive with a perfect 24-point return from their first eight league matches.
A chance for Betis to close the gap
Barcelona lead the table with 24 points and have yet to surrender a point this season. A victory in Seville would preserve that flawless record and reinforce their position at the summit.
Betis begin the ninth round in third place on 19 points, level with Atlético de Madrid but behind the capital club on goal difference. Defeating Barcelona would move the Andalusian club within three points of the leaders.
- Barcelona: first place, 24 points, unbeaten.
- Real Betis: third place, 19 points.
- Atlético de Madrid: level with Betis on points, ahead on goal difference.
- Venue: Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville.
Recent form points to an open contest
Barcelona’s latest league wins have included a 3-0 result against Getafe, a 3-1 victory away to Sevilla and a 7-2 win over newly promoted Racing de Santander. Their run has been emphatic as well as perfect.
Betis also bring an unbeaten sequence into the fixture, although it has contained a draw. They beat Osasuna 5-2, drew 1-1 with Deportivo La Coruña and then edged Getafe by a single goal.
The recent head-to-head record favours Barcelona. Of the last five meetings between the sides, Barcelona have won three and the remaining two ended level. One of those Barcelona successes was a 5-2 victory.
Match details and viewing information
- Date: Saturday 17 October.
- Competition: LaLiga, Matchday 9.
- Kick-off: 10:30 AM Central Mexico time.
- Stadium: Estadio de La Cartuja.
- Mexico television coverage: Sky Sports, with the Sky channel still to be confirmed; Izzi channel 522.
