Barcelona will look to extend their perfect start to the 2026-27 season when they visit Real Betis in La Liga on Saturday, 17 October 2026.
Hansi Flick’s side lead the table with 24 points from eight matches, while Real Betis are third on 19 points, five behind the leaders. Barcelona have won all eight of their league games and are on a run of 10 consecutive victories in all competitions after beating Galatasaray 4-1 in the Champions League.
They also defeated Getafe 3-0 last weekend and have scored 34 goals in La Liga this campaign.
Real Betis will be underdogs, but Manuel Pellegrini’s team have made an impressive start and appear to be developing into one of the strongest sides in European football. They beat Porto 3-2 in the Champions League before recording a 5-2 league victory over Osasuna.
The Seville club have won five of their past six matches in all competitions, drawing the other. Their only defeat this season came against Levante in La Liga at the end of August. Their league record is six wins, one draw and one loss.
Barcelona won both meetings between the sides last season, including a 5-3 victory in Seville in December 2025. Betis have actually beaten the Catalans only at Barcelona in their past two victories over them, while Barcelona have not lost away to the Andalusian club since January 2011.
Barcelona face a demanding end to October, travelling to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next week before hosting Real Madrid in the Clasico the following weekend. They will also play Alaves in La Liga before the month ends, then begin November by welcoming Aston Villa to Camp Nou in the Champions League.
Real Betis’ recent form is D, V, V, V, N, V in La Liga and V, V, V, N, V, V in all competitions. Barcelona’s records are six successive wins in both league and overall form.
Junior Firpo (groin) and Aitor Ruibal (knee) are unavailable for Betis. Cucho Hernandez is expected to replace Troy Parrott in attack, while Rodrigo Riquelme could start on the right instead of Antony. Pablo Fornals is also likely to return to central midfield.
Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong have resumed training and are expected to return to Barcelona’s squad, although both would probably begin on the bench. Gabriel Jesus could therefore feature in the front three, with Dani Olmo another option after playing as a false nine against Galatasaray.
Eric Garcia suffered a cut to his knee in that match but is available to start. Xavi Espart could come in at left-back. Roony Bardghji (knee) and Andreas Christensen (thigh) remain out.
Proposed Real Betis XI: Valles; Bellerin, Llorente, Natan, Garcia; Fornals, Roca; Riquelme, Isco, Ezzalzouli; Hernandez.
Proposed Barcelona XI: J. Garcia; E. Garcia, Cubarsi, Martin, Espart; Fermin, Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, G. Jesus, Gordon.
The suggested bets are Barcelona to win and both teams to score at 2.05, Anthony Gordon to score at 2.48, and Lamine Yamal to provide an assist at 2.35.
Hubert de The believes Real Betis could end Barcelona’s winning run, but expects Flick’s side to take all three points.
