Photo: Wikimedia Commons (free licence), cropped and styled by SportNestra — author and licence
Álvaro Valles has issued a warning to Barcelona ahead of Saturday’s match. Betis host Hansi Flick’s side at La Cartuja at 18:30, having beaten Oporto 3-2 in the Champions League. Barcelona arrive top of La Liga with 24 points from eight rounds; they have scored 34 goals and conceded seven.
Speaking to Cadena COPE on the eve of the game, Valles acknowledged the strength of his opponents while expressing confidence in Betis: “We know how much potential they have. We’ll try to counter it with our own strengths because we’re in a good spell. Every match is different. Barcelona steamroll almost everyone, but this is Betis and we’ll be at home, so we have to fight until the end.”
The goalkeeper does not believe Barcelona’s numbers should intimidate his team. He also said he had watched as many of the Catalan side’s matches as he could, and felt Betis had the quality and experience to challenge them. The victory over Oporto, which boosted the confidence of a team competing at a high level in Spain and Europe, adds to that belief. Valles nevertheless struck a measured note: “I always want to win, but if that isn’t possible, then a draw. Not losing will be important.”
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