Villareal – Real Betis: Submarines Drown In Their Territory (1-2)

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Real Betis made the Submarines drown in la Ceràmica stadium. Former Barcelona player, Victor Roque's header and ex-Villareal, Giovani Lo Celso's freekick secured three points for Manuel Pelligrini's team on a challenging ground.

Tactical analysis and match report by Achraf Lamdarhri.

Under Marcelino, Villareal keeps progressing gradually in LaLiga. The Submarines are most likely to finish the season in one of the places that will enable them to participate in a European competition. Their point tally is promising, keeping them close to the top four. However, their recent record seems to be hindering their process. Since their win against Alavés, Villareal has been winless and got kicked out of the Copa del Rey against Pontevedra.

Real Betis also fluctuates in terms of results. One win in the last five games in LaLiga and two wins out of five fixtures, putting them in the seventeenth place in the UEFA Conference League, summarize their current form. Inconsistency is what Villareal and Real Betis share in the recent period.

Marcelino played with a 4-4-2 formation on paper, with Luiz Júnior in goal. Kiko Femenía, Raúl Albiol, Eric Bailly, and Sergi Cardona formed the defense. Yeremy Pino and Álex Baena operated as wingers, with Dani Parejo and Pape Gueye as double pivots. Ayoze Pérez and Gerard Moreno led the attack.

Manuel Pellegrini started with Fran Vieites as the goalkeeper. Youssouf Sabaly and Romain Perraud filled the fullback positions, with Marc Bartra and Diego Llorente as center-backs. Johnny Cardoso joined Sergi Altimira in the pivot. Ezequiel Ávila and Abde Ezzalzouli . . .