The yuletide period is well-known for being littered with unwanted visits and tiresome social obligations amongst the more pleasurable engagements of the season, and the visit of Barcelona to Heliopolis is one of those that you look forward to, until you see the state they leave the place in after they have had their fun and gone.

Betis can be proud of the decorations they have put up this year. Their tree has not shone so brightly in years, they are in possession of what for many is treated like the greatest prize in modern football, fourth place, and you could be forgiven for thinking their letter to Santa has been received, read, filed and responded to a month early.

And if Betis have had their Christmas a month early, will the visit of Auntie Barcelona with her unruly urchins running amok in their own backyard catch the home side unawares? Will they be found with one too many mince pies in the belly and finishing off the last of the sherry? It would be typical of the team from Heliopolis to find room for one more party, one more last night of their Feria, or equally reach for the Alka Seltzer with arms flailing in capitulation.

Amidst the talk of Messi’s impending record, another one, as he looks to surpass Gert Muller’s record of 85 goals, one could be almost forgiven for overlooking the fact that Betis enter the festive period looking to equal their greatest season in recent times. People say that there will never be an easier season to grab the fourth spot, with Valencia out of sorts and local rivals Sevilla FC making more than one pundit wonder if there has been a mix up with the laundry. Betis may have huffed and puffed to where they are now, but that does not make it any less of an achievement for a team that spent barely two million Euros in the summer, half of that going on the so-far underachieving Nosa.

Betis with money seem to be a dangerous commodity, mismanagement during the Lopera presidency years led to displays of profligacy on players touted as ready-made legends, Denilson being the most palpable example of the side’s desire to compete with big-spending giants. The majority of the players brought in have come for costless or a pittance, their back-four bolstered by the presence of Brazilian furniture accessory Paulão, signed for a mere 60,000€ , which would not get you a one-bedroom apartment with views over the Betis’ stadium, indeed, around there you would be lucky to get a garage for that, and considering he has put two league goals away this season for the price of a mid-range Audi, this bears testament to the quality of the scouts’ work. 

And so, looking at Sunday’s game against Barcelona, once again we have the simple scenario of the game ending in glory, mundane boredom or disgrace for the local side. Barcelona will not take the visit lightly, but will be well aware of the home side’s performance against Madrid and know that there will be more than one green and white banana skin on the field of play. If Barcelona slip on one of these, then Christmas has not come early for Betis, it is only just beginning. 

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About the author
Craig Cavanagh
Una perspectiva diferente sobre el fútbol en Hispalis y más allá.