Valencia take on the visitors Betis in the round 14 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Thursday, November 10th at Estadio de Mestalla (Valencia).
Valencia were able to improve last season noticeably. Yes, after a strong start in La Liga, the Bats gradually slowed down, eventually ending the pace in 9th place. But it also reflects progress compared to the previous championship. But there was also the final of the Copa del Rey, however, it was lost. But still, Peter Lim turned another coaching castling. And put on Gennaro Gattuso. An Italian works only for the first months in a country where he has not lived and whose language he does not speak. And he works in the championship, where he has never played as a football player. It's still too early to say what works and what doesn't. There are good matches, but there are enough frankly failed ones. So was against Real Sociedad, playing most of the match in the majority, Los Ches limited themselves to a 1-1 draw. It is unlikely that this particularly pleased the team from Mestalla.
Betis made right choice inviting Manuel Pellegrini. He, after a failure at West Ham and a trip to China, returned to Spain, where he created a name for himself with ambitious middle peasants, taking them to a qualitatively new level. That's how it works with Betis. And it manages to add every season. First, the Betis returned to European competition under the Chilean, after a long pause. Then there was the 5th place in LaLiga in combination with taking the cup title. And now there are reasonable hopes to break into the top 4 - and this is already access to the Champions League. The club started very powerfully, having won against all opponents, except for the top one - Real Madrid. But in October, after a pause for national team matches, the project went through a crisis. True, at the same time, they continued to play confidently in the Europa League. Also, they managed to focus on match with a direct competitor, Real Sociedad, and win 2-0 on the road. But with a neighbor, Sevilla, again there was only a draw. And this, in the context of the struggle for a place in the Champions League, is more likely a loss of two points than gain of one.
It was Valencia that was beaten by Betis in the final of the Copa del Rey - however, only on penalties. Also under Pellegrini, the Betis collected 10 of 12 points against Los Ches. Bookmakers believe that Valencia can win at home. But Betis are strong and motivated, and Pellegrini is much more experienced than the opponent. We bet that the visitors will not lose.
Prediction for the match: Betis to win with +0.5 handicap (X2).
