Real Betis vs Villarreal prediction 17.01.2026 | La Liga

Betis have become oddly predictable in the bigger picture. Five straight seasons finishing between fifth and seventh. Always competitive. Never quite invited to the Champions League table. Last season’s sixth-place finish felt familiar, and after 19 games, Pellegrini’s side are right back there.

Home form is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Five wins from nine league matches at the Villamarín is solid, if not spectacular. Confidence dipped in recent weeks, though. A bruising 5–1 loss to Real Madrid followed by a flat 1–1 draw with Oviedo didn’t exactly lift spirits.

Then came the Copa del Rey. Down after 58 minutes against Elche, Betis looked stuck. Ezequiel Ávila had other ideas. Two goals later, the mood flipped.

Antony has gone four games without a goal, but the former United winger is still expected to start alongside Cucho Hernández, the club’s leading scorer.

Isco remains out with an ankle issue. Hernández is also managing a hamstring problem, which narrows the attacking options more than Pellegrini would like.

The Yellow Submarine are enjoying something close to a quiet renaissance. Third place. 41 points. A game in hand that could draw Marcelino’s men level with Real Madrid in second. That is not small talk territory.

Recent form backs it up. Two straight 3–1 league wins, first against Elche, then Alavés. The attack looks loose and confident. Away from home, however, things wobble slightly. Just three wins from the last seven on the road. Not disastrous, but enough to raise an eyebrow.

Georges Mikautadze should lead the line after contributing five goals and three assists in 13 league outings. Ayoze Pérez is expected alongside him.

Nicolas Pépé remains a bench option. Pau Cabanes and Logan Costa stay sidelined with long-term knee injuries and won’t travel.