Real Betis – Feyenoord

The opponents in a face-to-face meeting differ at least three times

In one of the marquee matches on the final matchday of the Europa League group stage in Seville, two quite motivated teams will face off. Betis will face their last opponent in the current round as the eighth-placed team in the standings. On the one hand, the Spanish side should be highly motivated to finish in the Top 8 and rule out the possibility of participating in the playoff qualifying round. This would allow them in February to conserve energy for important La Liga matches. However, in the previous European season Betis did not mind taking part in the Conference League Round of 16. There was no real effort to avoid an unnecessary round. And this did not prevent Manuel Pellegrini's side from eventually reaching the tournament final. From this it follows that Betis will not throw the final match of the Europa League group stage, but Pellegrini's players are not going to fight in it blindly ignoring the upcoming match against Valencia. Feyenoord this season is disappointing its fans. What separates Robin van Persie's team and the legendary Arsenal and Netherlands striker from complete dissatisfaction is only the Eredivisie's second place, which in the long run would grant them a direct place in the next Champions League. Bookmakers have made the hosts the favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.60 on their victory. Betis in the previous round could have secured a top-8 finish in the group stage with a win over PAOK. However, the team lost in Thessaloniki 0-2, after which they succumbed to modest Alavés in La Liga. On their home turf the Seville side look much better than in away matches, and two consecutive defeats will not allow them to play half-heartedly. Feyenoord is in a tough tournament position. Having only six points from seven rounds, the team sits outside the Top-24. Van Persie's charges in the final round would be satisfied only with a win over Betis. Even if the visitors are not capable of it, their game plan for the match will not be highly defensive. Let us bet that both clubs will pursue attacking football, ending with at least three goals.