La Liga officially makes its return after a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic when rivals Sevilla and Real Betis meet on Thursday. With heat and humidity a big concern in Spain, the game is a late kickoff at 10 p.m. local time and 4 p.m. ET. Sevilla enters the game in third place while Betis is in 12th, looking to move into the top half of the table. It's one of Spain's most intense rivalries with both clubs looking to resume play on a positive note with 11 games to go.
Here's how you can watch the match and what to know:
Viewing information
- Date: Thursday, June 11
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan -- Seville, Spain
- TV: beIN Sports
- Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
- Odds: Sevilla -110; Draw +275; Betis +290 (via William Hill Sportsbook)
Storylines
Sevilla: Sitting in third place is certainly a surprise, but five teams are within five points and two teams are just a point back. Pressure is on here for the team to come out of the gate strong and not fall out of the top four, but against Betis anything can happen. Expect Sevilla to play fast, try to keep the ball on the ground and also play a bit cautiously when Nabil Fekir has the ball at his feet.
Real Betis: For Betis, the key here is getting down the wing and then cutting inside. Sevilla's defense likes to hold its shape well centrally, but with fullbacks that push forward, Betis will have space to do some damage down the flanks. Expect Fekir to move a bit wide at times and try to play low balls into the box as Sevilla has some height in defense. A win could really kick-start Betis' season, which up to this point has been quite poor withe eight wins out of 27 games.
Prediction
The teams both look a tad rusty in front of goal and settle for a draw. Pick: Sevilla 1, Real Betis 1
