El Gran Derbi is back and the stakes couldn’t be higher for either of the Andalusian rivals. Sevilla are currently fifth in La Liga and just place and one point off Champions League qualification. Real Betis are ninth but amidst the remarkably tight neck-to-neck mid-table affair in Spain this season, they’re only six points off their counterparts from the city of Seville.
Both teams are coming off the back of sound victories, Real Betis having defeated Villareal 2-1 and Sevilla having resoundingly beaten Valladolid 2-0. The stage is set for another intense derby and in this tactical analysis preview, we’ll attempt to analyse the tactics used by both teams in recent times as well as predict the interesting aspects of the game to be played in the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium.
Predicted line-ups and formations
Following the sacking of Pablo Machín barely a month ago, Joaquín Caparrós was hired to replace him as the new Sevilla manager. Machín preferred a three-man defence and enjoyed great success with it in initially in Sevilla.
However, since Caparrós’ appointment, he’s invariably lined Sevilla up in a 4-4-2 or a 4-4-1-1. Real Betis, on the other hand, have in recent times played a 3-5-2 (or a variation of it, such as a 3-1-4-2) and it’s safe to assume Real Betis will start in a similar fashion, seeing Quique Setién’s philosophical approach to the game and his general penchant for consistent starting XIs.
Sevilla will also be awaiting the return of their first-choice goalkeeper Tomáš Vaclík. He’s been out since the middle of March after having picked up a knock in a game. For Real Betis, they’ll be eagerly expecting Sergio Canales and Francisco Guerrero to return to match fitness for this very crucial fixture. Considering everything, here’s what we feel the line-ups for both teams will be.
Real Betis’s attacking mechanisms
Real Betis are a possession-oriented team so it can be safely predicted that the majority of the ball will be with Quique Setién’s men. Real Betis’ positional play sees them use certain tactical concepts so much that they’re deeply ingrained in the minds of the players. The most common aspects are achieving superiorities and a structured system both in and out of possession.
The superiorities can be of various kinds but the most commonly used are numerical and qualitative. What this means is that Real Betis like to overload the ball-near areas so that they can then use free-man runs to attack the opposition’s backline at pace. It works particularly well in tandem with their tactic of overloading and then switching the flanks so that a winger or full-back can be found in a one-on-one situation with the opposition’s full-back.
