Barcelona vs Real Betis Match Preview
Barcelona will be trying to keep the chase on Real Madrid when they face Real Betis, after their 1-1 draw in the Catalan derby last weekend.

Barcelona will be hosting Real Betis in a crucial match.
Real Madrid edged past Real Mallorca 2-1 on Saturday evening, moving six points at the top of the table temporarily. This means that anything less than the three points for Barcelona against the Verdiblancos would expand the gap to seven or even nine points.
But Guardiola is positive that his side will keep fighting till the end to defend their Liga title. “There are 63 points left to play for,” the manager reminded during the Saturday press conference.
“That's a lot of points and my sole objective is to get across to the players that we need to make these 63 points count. We've got an opportunity so why shouldn't we go for it?”
Barca have collected 38 points so far, while Real Betis currently sit in 10th position with 22 points - 6 points above the relegation zone. The hosts will be going into the game without Seydou Keita, who has joined his national team for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Pedro and Andreu Fontas are out with injuries, while David Villa and Ibrahim Afellay have yet to get back to action. Cuenca, Montaya, Sergi Roberto and Dos Santos however trained with 15 first team players, including Dani Alves and Andres Iniesta.
Defender Antonio Amaya and midfielder Momo will also be out for Real Betis, but the Andalusians could profit from a few returns. Alvaro Vadillo and Nelson could well have a feel of the game against Barca.
Barcelona vs Real Betis Match Report
Under pressure, Barcelona welcomed Real Betis at the Camp Nou with dangerous intentions. But the Andalusians showed great resistance throughout the game, despite a 4-2 result in the end.

Lionel Messi scored two goals against Real Betis...
An early attempt and an attacking style of play quickly conveyed Betis’ aim of taking the lead. 10 minutes was enough though for Pep Guardiola’s side to reduce the level of stress inside the stadium, as Xavi nicely netted the opener following a chance created by Cesc Fabregas.
Lionel Messi then rushed to add his name to the scoring sheet. A wonderful cross from Alexis Sanchez perfectly found the Argentine, who only had to convert from close range.
This quick succession of goals vitally revived Barcelona’s spirit, and soon after, the home side’s display clearly got boosted by a high level of confidence. They subsequently dominated the play, giving the home crowd much more to anticipate.
At their surprise though, Real Betis pulled one back, with Ruben Castro putting the visitors back into the game thanks to an assist from Salva Sevilla. The Blaugrana’s clean sheet record at home this season was broken…
Panic visibly began to disturb Barca’s movements, and for the second time in two weeks, Messi received a booking. Carles Puyol then followed on the referee’s book, and things went from bad to worse when Roque Santa Cruz excellently clipped the ball into the net’s top right corner to level the score line to 2-2.
Los Cules almost thought they had been gifted a golden chance to get back in front when Iniesta went down inside the box on 69 minutes; but the official refused to award Barca a penalty. As a result, the Spanish midfielder entered the book for diving. It was simply a controversial decision by the ref there…
Although it couldn’t serve as a payback, Betis’ Mario had to leave the pitch for an early shower, after he got sent off for a second booking that came through a bad tackle on Messi on the edge of the box. Barcelona kept putting pressure on their opponents in search of a winner, which Alexis Sanchez found on 75 minutes.
A timely pass from Xavi on the edge of the box put the Chilean striker in a great position to shoot, and Sanchez didn’t miss. A tricky shot was the key to what seemed to be the winning goal.
But a handball from Dorado inside the box wrongly stopped a shot from Lionel Messi, later on. The Catalans finally got their penalty appeal approved, and the Ballon d’Or 2011 winner made no mistake from the spot. A penalty goal closed the game 4-2 at the Camp Nou, at the delight of the fans in the stadium who certainly made their voices heard, especially in the second half.