Europa League Betting: Sevilla to beat bitter rivals Betis

Betting Tips | Article posted on March 12th, 2025

Kevin Hatchard’s back with his best bets for the last 16, and he expects a home win in the Andalusian derby…
Sevilla vs Real BetisThursday 20:05Live on ESPN
Match Odds: Sevilla 1.564/7, Betis 6.411/2, the draw 4.67/2
These Andalusian rivals are set to do battle for a place in the quarter-finals, and despite Betis’ impressive progress in this competition, it’s tough to look beyond the home side. When the two teams met at the Sanchez Pizjuan back in March, Sevilla ran out 4-0 winners. That result does need to be put in context, as Betis had Paulao sent off in the first half with the score at 1-0, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that Betis have taken just three points from 13 away games in La Liga.
Betis are rooted to the foot of the La Liga table, but they have at least shown some fight under Gabriel Calderon, who is their third coach of the season. Their 2-0 win at Rubin Kazan in the previous round was a real turn up for the books, and their home form has improved sharply, but they still can’t be trusted on the road.
Sevilla tend to struggle at home against teams that are superior to them (two of their four home defeats were to Atletico Madrid and Barcelona), but they do better against more modest opponents, and Unai Emery’s men are enjoying a good run of form. Sevilla have won their last four matches in all competitions, and are unbeaten in six. They were excellent in the weekend’s 3-1 win at Almeria, and that was with arguably their best player Ivan Rakitic on the bench.
Derbies are often tough to predict, but I expect Sevilla to build a first-leg lead. They are certainly worth backing -1.0 on the Asian Handicap at an attractive 1.991/1.
Recommended BetBack Sevilla -1.0 on the Asian Handicap at 1.991/1
AZ Alkmaar vs Anzhi MakhachkalaThursday 20:05
Match Odds: AZ 1.738/11, Anzhi 5.95/1, the draw 3.711/4
Bearing in mind the talent drain that Anzhi have suffered, the Russian Premier League strugglers have done well to get this far. That said, I suspect their two-legged success over Genk in the previous round highlights the Belgian side’s dramatic loss of form rather than a big improvement by the men from Dagestan.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that Anzhi are rock-bottom of the Russian Premier League, having failed to win any of their 19 games. All of their star players have left, and they qualified for the knockout rounds of this competition with just eight points. The team that beat AZ 6-0 on aggregate in last season’s Europa League simply doesn’t exist anymore.
AZ Alkmaar won three and drew three of their group games, and in the Eredivisie they have won their last