Real Betis face Valencia in the Copa del Rey at Sevilla’s La Cartuja Stadium tonight.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side are favourites heading into the final due to their strong form in La Liga this season. They are also the team with the most goals in this year’s competition with 20.
Betis striker Borja Iglesias is the Copa del Rey top scorer in 2021/22 with four goals. The main doubt for Betis is in goal. Rui Silva has played in most of the Copa del Rey games, but Claudio Bravo came in for the semi-final.
In Pellegrini’s 4-1-4-1/4-2-3-1 formation, Germán Pezzella will start alongside Marc Bartra at centre-back. Héctor Bellerín and Álex Moreno will be the full-backs. William Carvalho and Guido Rodríguez will be in the engine room with Nabil Fekir, Juanmi and Sergio Canales operating behind Borja Iglesias up front.
Betis have played 50 games this season and will be hoping fatigue doesn’t become an issue if the game goes to extra time.
Valencia
Valencia have faced Utrillas, Arenteiro, Cartagena, Baleares, Cádiz and Athletic Club on the way to the final.
Los Che manager José Bordalás arrived at Mestalla to “recover the club’s DNA” and no one can deny that he has made his Valencia side a tougher team to beat.
The main doubt for Valencia is defender Gabriel Paulista, who has been injured for two weeks and if he plays he will be forced to do so, although yesterday Bordalás said “he will most probably be in the starting line-up”.
The possible starting eleven for Valencia could be as follows:
Mamardashvili – Foulquier, Alderete, Gabriel Paulista, Diakhaby, Gayà – Guillamón, Soler, Bryan Gil – Guedes, Hugo Duro.
The other possibility would be for Hugo Duro to start on the bench and Thierry Rendall to take the wing-back slot with Dimitri Foulquier playing in midfield, although given the rotation Bordalás has employed, all the indications are that Duro will start.
Prediction: Real Betis 2-1 Valencia
GSFN
