With only three more rounds of matches left, things are getting tense throughout the Spanish La Liga. Teams are fighting it out for better finishes, European qualification, and the best performances to please their fans. The Round 36 finishes off on Monday with aclash between CD Leganes, who is fighting to avoid relegation to the second tier of Spanish football, and Real Betis, who is just about safe from the relegation troubles. Leganes’ need to stay afloat in the division surely provides the prospect of a thrilling, passionate contest, as pride, effort, and La Liga hopes for the next year are all on the line.
CD LEGANES vs REAL BETIS FC
Three-way: 1: CD LEGANES -143; X: +300 Draw 2: REAL BETIS +520
Spread -0.5: CD LEGANES -147; REAL BETIS +139
Total +2.5: Over +120; Under-125
CD LEGANES
After being promoted for the first time to the Top Division in Spain, the fans were dreaming high, and hoping that the way the team played to gain promotion, would also ensure their survival and decent results in the Spanish La Liga. However, that hasn’t exactly been the case, and therefore Leganes are still in troubled waters, from where, they still need 4 more points, at the very least, to be assured of safety and Spanish La Liga excitement in the next season. They have a chance to take a massive step towards safety, when they meet Real Betis this Monday, who are also having a poor season, and are just above Leganes by 4 points.
Accumulating 30 points so far, Leganes occupies the 17th position in the Spanish La Liga, just one above relegation spots. 17 of those points have been won in front of the home crowd. Their current home form in the last 6 games is 3-1-2. They have won 3 points over their last two games. An emphatic 3-0 win over Las Palmas at home, was followed by a disappointing loss at Eibar, where they lost 0:2. They have just one win in their last six games in the league. Looking at their various score lines this season, we can see that their most frequent result has been a 0:2 loss, which has occurred a total of 6 times so far, which shows that their season hasn’t exactly been positive in any sense so far.
How poorly the hosts have performed throughout the season in the Spanish La Liga, proves the fact that they are among the worst teams offensively. They have the worst attack in the league, barring just one team. They have scored a miserly return of just 30 goals so far this season in the league. 17 of those goals have been scored in front of the home crowds. When it comes to defense, their backline is in a better shape than their attackers and creators. Even though they have conceded 53 goals, they still have managed to keep 10 clean sheets so far. However, they haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last 7 matches, which will be a worrying statistic for the fans.
No player on the Leganes team has scored more than five goals. Alexander Szymanowski has scored 5 goals, and assisted 2, while Miguel Angel Guerrero has scored 5 goals and got 1 assist. Goalkeeper Iago Herrerin has 5 clean sheets to his name, while his teammate Jon Serantes has 4.
Leganes do not have many doubtful cases for this match-up when it comes to injuries. Robert Ibanez, and Jon Ander Serantes, both are out for the season, as they are on the road to recover from a Cruciate Ligament injury. Omar Ramos, who had thigh injury, is back in the training sessions, and may be up for selection. Mario Mantovani is suspended for the match.
REAL BETIS FC
With 4 matches still left to play for Real Betis FC, the highest they can finish this season is the 10th spot, that too only when all the teams directly above them do not win points. Real Betis are assured to be in the Spanish La Liga for the 2017-18 season, therefore they can enter this clash much more relaxed, as opposed to their Mondays opponents. However, for the sake of the fans, the club would want to put in a string of good performances to finish their league season on a positive note. For that, they need to start this Monday, when they face Leganes, a club that has been languishing near the relegation spots. Anything but a victory would be a disappointing result for the club and its fans.
Accumulating 36 points so far in the league, Real Betis is currently sitting at the 15th spot in the Spanish La Liga table. 24 of those points have been won at home, which shows that they have not been very efficient on the road, winning only 12 points. They have lost both of their last two games in the league. A disappointing 1:2 away loss to Athletic Bilbao, was followed by a humiliation at home by Alaves, with the score reading 1:4. Their poor season so far has been clear for everyone to see, which is further made clear by the fact that they have lost by the scoreline 0:1, 6 times so far this season. Their current away form over the last 6 games is 2-0-4.
Real Betis has been very poor when it comes to scoring goals. They have scored just 37 goals so far, which is better than only 4 teams in the league. Of those 37 goals, 21 have come in front of the home fans. Betis has failed to score in 10 games this season in the Spanish La Liga so far, which gives another indication of their poor form in front of goal. Defensively, the situation isn’t any better. They have conceded 56 goals till now in the league, with 33 of those coming at away games. However, the defense has managed to keep 10 clean sheets till this point.
Spanish forward Ruben Castro has been the top scorer for Real Betis in the Spanish La Liga, with 11 goals to his name. He has also chipped in with 3 assists to his name. Alexander Moreno has also been useful to get goals. He has scored 3 goals so far, and has also made 4 assists for his team mates. Goalkeeper Antonio Adan has 10 clean sheets to his name so far, bettered only by 5 more keepers in the league.
Real Betis doesn’t really has any major concerns when it comes to injuries and suspensions, apart from Antonio Sanabria, who is out for the season because of a groin injury. Cristiano Piccini, and Jonas Martin, both are back in training after suffering foot injuries. Daniel Ceballos is the only major doubt, as it cannot be confirmed whether he has recovered fully from the ankle injury or not.
CD LEGANES vs REAL BETIS FC MATCH PREDICTION
This match has more vital implications for Leganes than Real Betis. However, both teams will still try their best to win this match, as no team would like to finish their season in a negative mood with a defeat in their last three matches.
The public money is going the direction of the host which is why the lines keep on adjusting, with the moneyline currently standing at -143. This indicates that Leganes needs the points here more than the visitors. However, I would not be surprised if we see both teams to score at least once, so I think that the +114 offered on both teams to score is a bet not to miss. Grab it while it’s still there!!!
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (+114)
