Real Sociedad – Real Betis: All Square After A Fierce Affair (0-0)

Two sides battling for the top-four finish, Real Sociedad and Real Betis could only lock horns on a crucial six-point match at Estadio Benito Villamarin. 
Tactical analysis by Huu Trung Nguyen.

Whispers of catching Real Madrid on the table, but just a few months later, La Real are currently finding themselves potentially losing hold of the Champions League spot that they had such a firm grip on earlier. This is the result of a (usual) dip in their form since the start of the year: they had only won seven out of the fifteen league matches so far in 2023. The resilient win on home soil over Rayo Vallecano over the weekend may have put them in pole position to secure Champions League football next season with a six-point advantage, but a defeat to the Andalusian side may as well once again complicate the situation for them, considering that they will have to come up against all the big three sides (Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid) in the remaining fixtures. 

Real Betis, on the other hand, are in the midst of a slump. Inconsistency is exactly what had been detaining their top-four push. In their last nine outings in all competitions, they only managed to come out on top twice, and this poor run of form came in the worst possible stage of the campaign. Pellegrini’s side would come into this match with a must-win attitude, or else Sociedad would move nine points clear of them, which is a huge gap to make up at this stage of the competition. 

However, the fact that they tended to enjoy positive results against Sociedad under Pellegrini may have given them a slight psychological edge. Real Betis had . . .