Arguably the pick of the matches in Spain's top flight this weekend will take place on Sunday evening, with sixth-placed Villarreal welcoming fifth-placed Real Betis.

Both teams were in European action on Thursday night, with Villarreal drawing 1-1 away to Anderlecht in the first leg of their last-16 clash in the Europa Conference League, while Betis suffered a 4-1 defeat away to Manchester United in the first leg of their last-16 contest in the Europa League.

Match preview

Villarreal have won their last two league matches against Getafe and Almeria, with the results moving them into sixth position in the table, boasting 37 points from their opening 24 matches.

The Yellow Submarine have had their problems this season, but they are only four points behind fifth-placed Real Betis ahead of this contest and will certainly fancy their chances of securing a top-six finish.

Villarreal are also chasing European success this season, and they have put themselves in a strong position to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League, having drawn 1-1 away to Anderlecht in the first leg of their last-16 contest on Thursday night.

Winning the UECL this season would see them automatically qualify for the 2023-24 Europa League, and European football has become a regular occurrence for El Submarino Amarillo in recent years.

Quique Setien's side have been strong at home this season, picking up 22 points from their 11 matches, which is the third-best record in the division behind Real Madrid (25) and Barcelona (32).

However, they will be welcoming a Betis outfit with the fifth-best away record, winning six of their 12 games on their travels during the 2022-23 campaign.

The visitors have been in excellent form in the league over the last month, picking up 10 points from their last four matches courtesy of wins over Almeria, Real Valladolid and Elche, and a draw at home to Real Madrid.

Manuel Pellegrini's side sit fifth in the table, four points ahead of sixth-placed Villarreal and actually only three points behind fourth-placed Real Sociedad, so they will have their eyes on a Champions League spot.

Betis could also qualify for next season's Champions League by winning the Europa League this season, but they face an uphill task when it comes to reaching the quarter-finals, having lost 4-1 at Man United in the first leg of their last-16 contest on Thursday night.

The two teams were level at the interval, with Ayoze Perez cancelling out an early strike from Marcus Rashford, but the Red Devils then went on to score three more times through Antony, Bruno Fernandes and Wout Weghorst to claim a strong advantage ahead of the second leg in Seville next week.

Betis recorded a 1-0 victory over Villarreal in the reverse match earlier this season, but the Yellow Submarine were 2-0 winners in the corresponding fixture during the 2021-22 campaign.

Team News

Villarreal remain without the services of Francis Coquelin due to a long-term knee problem, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape ahead of Sunday's contest.

The team is expected to be similar to the one that took to the field for the first whistle against Almeria in the league last time out, although Etienne Capoue and Gerard Moreno are likely to be introduced.

Manu Trigueros was on the scoresheet against Anderlecht, but it is unlikely to be enough to secure a spot in the XI, with Setien set to make a number of changes from the European affair.

As for Betis, William Carvalho is suspended due to the booking that he picked up against Real Madrid.

Nabil Fekir and Juan Cruz are also out through injury, but Sergio Canales made his return from a hamstring issue as a second-half substitute against Man United, and the experienced attacker could now start.

Borja Iglesias is also set to be introduced into the starting side, with Perez potentially moving into a wide area, while Aitor Ruibal, Juan Miranda and Andres Guardado should also come into the XI.

Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Reina; Foyth, Albiol, P Torres, A Moreno; Capoue, Parejo, Baena; Chukwueze, G Moreno, Pino

Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Bravo; Sabaly, Pezzella, Felipe, Miranda; Rodriguez, Guardado; Ruibal, Canales, Perez; Iglesias

We say: Villarreal 1-1 Real Betis

This is a really difficult match to call, especially as the two teams will be entering the contest off the back of European fixtures. There is not an awful lot between the two sides in terms of quality, and we are expecting a very close match, with the points ultimately being shared on Sunday night.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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