Match Pack: Athletic Club vs Real Betis (LaLiga MD12)

The Cathedral is bracing itself for a Sunday night showdown between Athletic Club and Real Betis, two of LaLiga's most exciting sides.

Real Betis, consistent European qualifiers since Manuel Pellegrini took over in 2020, are coming to Bilbao in high spirits after beating Atlético Madrid 1-0 last week.

At the same time, Ernesto Valverde's Lions will be looking to maintain their fine form at San Mames, where they haven't suffered defeat since facing Diego Simeone's side in August.

 

Match Info
Athletic Club vs Real Betis

San Mames, Bilbao

LaLiga EA Sports 24/25 (Matchday 12)

Sunday November 3, 21:00 CET

Tickets can be purchased via this link.

How to Watch
Check out our global TV guide to make sure you don't miss the match

Team News
Valverde named a 25-man squad for the clash in Bilbao.

Unai Simón is the only major injury absence.


Valverde's Comments
The gaffer wants Athletic to keep being "strong and tough to beat home".

Catch up with everything he had to say at his pre-match press conference.

The Opponents

Head coach: Manuel Pellegrini

The Chilean tactician has been at Real Betis since July 2020. In that time, Pellegrini has turned the Andalusians into a serious LaLiga force, with the side qualifying for Europe in every single season under his tenure.

His record with Betis stands at 72 wins, 48 draws and 46 losses from 166 matches in charge.

 

Top scorer: Vitor Roque

On loan from FC Barcelona, the Brazilian forward is second in Betis 2024/25 top scorer rankings behind the injured Giovani Lo Celso. Roque has two goals from eight appearances so far this season. 

 

Recent form: DWLWW

One of LaLiga's in form sides, the Verdiblancos have only lost once in their last five fixtures, a 1-0 away loss to cross-city rivals Sevilla FC. Their last outing was a 1-0 home victory over Atlético Madrid.
 

Previous Meetings
The two sides first met in LaLiga back in 1932/33, with Athletic beating Betis 9-1 at San Mames on that occasion.

There have been a total of 116 top-flight encounters and the Lions' record against the Andalusians is 47 wins, 35 draws and 34 defeats.
 

Los Leones have a strong home record against Real Betis. From 58 matches, we've registered 34 wins, 16 draws and just eight losses.
 

The last five home matches give a clear indication of Athletic's dominance at The Cathedral.
 

Last season's fixture at San Mames was a 4-2 thriller. The Lions were 0-2 down after the first 12 minutes.

Mikel Vesga kicked off a spectacular fightback with a penalty in the 30th minute before scoring another one on the stroke of half-time. Gorka Guruzeta then completed the turnaround with a strike in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time.

Unai Gómez, with his first senior goal, delivered the killer blow in the 83rd minute.