Sevilla Favored Over Real Betis In La Liga’s First Match Back

• After a three-month hiatus, the Spanish La Liga is ready to resume play on Thursday.
• Sevilla (-0.5) takes on Real Betis (+0.5) in the Seville Derby.
• The +350 odds for Betis to pull off the upset are higher than a draw occurring (+275).

SEVILLE, Spain – The Spanish top flight of football, La Liga, is finally making its return to action, as Sevilla takes on Real Betis.

Thursday’s match will be the first La Liga match in almost three months, kicking off a full return to action for the league that continues the rest of the week.

La Liga will have a week straight of matches as they attempt to make up lost time due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Like the other major leagues that have returned to action, La Liga will not permit fans to enter the stadium in accordance with social distancing precautions.

Spain has one of the better COVID-19 infection rates over the last month, with numbers increasingly headed downwards.

One of the biggest differences that soccer bettors will notice as La Liga returns to form is the lack of betting sponsors on certain team’s jerseys.

The Spanish government has instituted a temporary ban on betting sponsors in the country.

This ban is part of the country’s state of emergency protocol and will last until June 21st.

This means that Sevilla’s usual jersey sponsor Marathon Bet will be replaced or entirely omitted for the time being.

Besides all that, there is still a match to be played today as Sevilla attempt to hang on to their third-place standing in the league table.

Real Betis on the other hand sit down in the twelfth spot, where they need to cover some serious ground if they hope to qualify for a European tournament.

Over the past five matchups of the Sevilla Derbies dating back to early 2018, neither team has excelled as a true La Liga favorite.

While Sevilla is on a two-game win streak (both played in 2019), a draw, and two victories for Betis complete the last five head-to-head matches.

In what is usually a high-intensity matchup between cross-town rivals, Thursday’s match looks to be a little more subdued due to the lack of fans in attendance.

While that might have an impact on the atmosphere, the content on the pitch should be as fiery as ever as these teams have been itching to get back to competition.

Add in the fact that legal sportsbooks will be taking heavy action on the return of La Liga and the 4 p.m. EST matchup should be one of the biggest sporting events on Thursday.

News tags: La Liga | Real Betis | Sevilla | soccer