Valencia will be aiming to end a five-game slump on Thursday as they host Real Betis after drawing three and losing two of their last five outings.
Can Edinson Cavani fire his team to victory? Bookmaker William Hill is offering enhanced odds at 5.50 for the Uruguayan goal machine to find the back of the net Thursday.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: November 9th, 7:00 P.M. (EST)
Bizarre as it may sound, Valencia have gone cold just as Cavani has found his form. The 35-year-old netted at least once in three consecutive games before Barcelona found a way to shut down the whole team on Oct. 29.
Cavani has become the fifth South American player in the 21st century to score in four of the top-five leagues in Europe. He’s bagged four goals in seven La Liga games, proving that he can still get the job done.
But can the Valencia defense also find some form now? The team has registered only two clean sheets this season and it’s no surprise that the poor performances at the back have left the side sitting 12th in the table. Manager Gennaro Gattuso clearly needs to work on finding a better balance for his team.
Betis are currently fifth and hope to regain some momentum on Thursday after winning only once in the past four league outings. Getting back on track won’t be easy with the team having lost two of its key players to suspension.
The first Seville derby of the season ended up being a very fiery affair and both Nabil Fekir and Borja Iglesias picked up red cards in the match. Having registered eight goals and two assists this season, Iglesias has been involved in more than half of Betis’ league goals (17) and his absence in particular will be a massive blow for the side.
With last season’s top scorer Juanmi injured, Manuel Pellegrini will be short of options in attack and could elect to simply park the bus. Betis have done very well defensively this season in allowing just nine goals in 13 games. Only Barcelona boast a better defensive record in La Liga with five goals conceded.
Betis have enjoyed a good run in the match-up going five games unbeaten. They picked up a few comfortable three-goal victories in both league meetings last season and also beat Valencia on penalties in the Copa del Rey final. Valencia have won only five of 17 head-to-head meetings since the start of the 2015-16 campaign.
