La Liga side Real Betis take on Gent in the first leg of their Conference League play-off on Thursday, and we’ve got the latest team news and predicted lineups included in our preview ahead of the action.
Gent vs Real Betis Preview
Among the bookmakers’ favourites to lift the Conference League title come the end of the season, Spanish outfit Real Betis travel to Belgium to take on Gent in the first leg of their play-off tie on Thursday evening.
Managed by Manuel Pellegrini, a former Premier League winner with Manchester City, Betis ended the league phase in 15th place with three wins, one draw and two losses, just one point outside the top eight.
Los Mejores came out on top in each of their last two European outings, edging out Petrocub and HJK with 1-0 victories back in December, however they come into this one in rather poor form domestically.
The Seville-based side have won just one of their last six matches across all competitions, suffering defeats to Celta Vigo, Alaves, Barcelona and Real Valladolid within that timeframe. It’s a return that sees them occupy 11th place in the Spanish top-flight table, six points adrift of the European qualification positions.
đđÌđ đđđđÌ đđ đđ đđđđđĄđđđ.#EuroBetis #GentRealBetis pic.twitter.com/Ui24uCQp0W
— Real Betis BalompiĂ© đŽđ (@RealBetis) February 13, 2025
As for Gent, they finished a point behind Betis in 17th, with their record standing at three wins and three losses. Their 1-0 defeat to Northern Irish champions Larne on MD6 was quite possibly the biggest upset of the league phase.
Domestically, De Buffalo’s find themselves in sixth place in the Belgian Pro League table, and they have won just one of their last six matches. Last time out, Danijel Milicevic’s side fought from behind to draw 3-3 with Mechelen.
Gent Team News
Noah Fadiga, Max Dean, Andrew Hjulsager and Tom Vandenberghe have all been ruled out through injury for the hosts, while Tsuyoshi Watanabe and Aime Omgba are reportedly doubts.
Dante Vanzeir is expected to retain his starting berth up front alongside either Momodou Sonko or Andri Gudjohnsen.
Real Betis Team News
The visitors, meanwhile, are without long-term absentee William Carvalho, as well as January signing Cucho Hernandez, who hasn’t been registered as part of the club’s Conference League squad.
Both Hector Bellerin and Pablo Fornals have also been ruled out through injury, while Aitor Ruibal is suspended.
Gent vs Real Betis Predicted Lineups
Gent Predicted Lineup:
Roef; Gambor, Mitrovic, Torunarigha; Samoise, Kums, Ito, Delorge, Brown; Sonko, Vanzeir
Real Betis Predicted Lineup:
Adrian; Sabaly, Llorente, Bartra, R. Rodriguez; Johnny, Roca; Antony, Isco, J. Rodriguez; Bakambu
Gent vs Real Betis Prediction
The UK’s best football betting sites, perhaps unsurprisingly, see Real Betis as the favourites to come out on top in the first leg at around 17/20, while a draw is valued at 5/2 and a win for the hosts is priced at 31/10.
We at SportsCasting, like the bookmakers, are also favouring the visitors despite their poor domestic form in recent weeks and expect the likes of Antony, Isco and Cedric Bakambu to cause plenty of problems for the Gent backline.
Prediction: Gent 0-2 Real Betis
