Manchester United will take out their frustration on Spanish opponents Real Betis in Europa League play as the Red Devils look for a response from the embarrassing 7-0 defeat to Liverpool last time out.
With Erik ten Hag flying high from the Carabao Cup title, hoping to use a rivalry result to push into the Premier League title conversation, United instead were thrashed by the hated Reds at Anfield in a brutal result that the Dutch boss called "unprofessional".
Despite falling back in the Premier League title race, Ten Hag will know his best chance at another piece of high-profile silverware now rests on Europa League play as they look to secure a first-leg lead in the hopes of pushing through to the quarterfinals.
Now, they host Manuel Pellegrini and his top-four Spanish side at Old Trafford with the focus now squarely turned to European competition. Pellegrini has his work cut out for him after losing playmaker Nabil Fekir to a torn ACL recently, completely shaking up the Betis front line.
MORE: Full look at the Europa League Round of 16 draw
Man United vs Real Betis odds
Despite the capitulation at Anfield over the weekend, Manchester United are still heavy favourites in this match, largely due to the gulf in pedigree of the clubs and the injuries suffered by Betis of late.
There is some confusion over whether the Spanish side can breach the United defence, but most sports books seem to agree that the over is a likely result.
| BetMGM (USA) | Sports Interaction (Canada) | SkyBet (UK) | Neds (Australia) | Dafabet (India) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man United win | -225 | -258 | 2/5 | 1.42 | 1.40 |
| Draw | +375 | +364 | 15/4 | 4.40 | 5.20 |
| Real Betis win | +575 | +580 | 13/2 | 7.25 | 8.23 |
| Both teams to score Y / N | -120 / -120 | -125 / -125 | 4/5, 10/11 | 1.80 / 1.91 | 1.81 / — |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals | -155 / +110 | -156 / +117 | 8/13, 6/5 | 1.64 / 2.15 | 1.64 / 2.35 |
| MUFC advance | -400 | — | 1/4 | 1.25 | — |
| Betis advance | +250 | — | 11/4 | 3.60 | — |
Man United vs Real Betis: 3 things to know
Man United vs Real Betis match facts
- Date: Thursday, March 9
- Kickoff Time: 3:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. GMT / 7:00 a.m. AEDT (Fri, March 10)
- Location: Old Trafford (Manchester, England)
- Official: Daniel Siebert (GER)
- Last meeting: NONE
Man United vs Real Betis team news
Casemiro was declared fit to play despite a knock, so he will do so a booking away from triggering a European suspension. There's no timeline yet for an Anthony Martial return as his hip injury drags on, although he did train with the team the day before this fixture. Otherwise, it's just the usual suspects for the Red Devils, as Donny van de Beek is out for the season after knee surgery and Christian Eriksen is out through at least the next two months with a serious ankle injury.
The most devastating loss for Real Betis is that of goalscoring threat Nabil Fekir who tore his ACL last week and is therefore not just out the rest of this season but likely to miss time into next season as well. Sergio Canales has recovered from his hamstring injury to make the Real Betis squad for the match, but young Argentine winger Juan Cruz is sidelined with one of his own.
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Man United vs Real Betis key stats
- Real Betis, who have never played Manchester United in a competitive match previously, will become the 12th different Spanish opponent for the Red Devils in club history. It will be their 60th all-time competitive match against a Spanish club, having played one every year in European play since 2017.
- Manuel Pellegrini has managed against Man United in European competition four times, and all four games ended in a 0-0 draw. In Premier League competition in charge of Man City and West Ham, Pellegrini won five out of his nine matches against United.
- Real Betis have an xG differential of -6.93 in La Liga play, the third-worst figure in the Spanish top flight behind Barcelona and Villarreal.
Man United vs Real Betis prediction
- Moneyline lean: Man United (-225)
- Score prediction: Man United 2-0 Real Betis
You never want to be the team that comes after a result like we saw over the weekend, and Real Betis are in the unfortunate position of catching a Manchester United team that will surely be angry and out for blood.
Erik ten Hag has proven he is a quality manager, and his harsh words after defeat to Liverpool in embarrassing fashion show he has high expectations. This will be a chance for the team to turn things around and get back on track against a vulnerable side from a down league, and they will take that opportunity.
Man United vs Real Betis: best bet
- Pick: Man United to win to nil
- Odds: +135 (BetMGM)
Outside of Real Madrid, Spanish teams, by and large this season, have been inferior to European clubs in continental play, specifically English clubs. Barcelona were humbled by Bayern Munich and Inter in the Champions League before being eliminated by Man United, Sevilla were thrashed by Man City and nearly threw away a three-goal lead to PSV, and Atletico Madrid finished last in their group.
Betis are doing well in Spain, but they have suffered a few close calls domestically of late, and without Nabil Fekir, it's hard to see them troubling what is a usually consistent Man United back line despite the humiliation over the weekend.
Man United vs Real Betis prop bet
- Pick: Bruno Fernandes anytime goalscorer
- Odds: +220 (BetMGM)
Bruno Fernandes is due a goal on so many fronts. Most notably, he hasn't scored a European goal in either this season or last, which is a massive anomaly given he'd bagged 24 goals in 43 games prior to that.
Additionally, Fernandes has come up empty in each of his past four Premier League matches despite racking up good chances, with nothing to show for his 1.07 xG across those games. He remains a big part of the Man United attack, and with Marcus Rashford clearly needing some goalscoring support, Fernandes could be the man to step up.
Man United vs Real Betis live stream, TV channel
MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with fuboTV in USA
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | TUDN, UniMas | fuboTV, Paramount+, TUDN, ViX+ |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | BT Sport 1 | BT Sport |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| New Zealand | — | Spark Sport |
| India | Sony TEN 2 | Sony LIV, JioTV |
| Hong Kong | beIN Sports 3 | beIN Sports Connect |
| Malaysia | beIN Sports 3 | beIN Sports Connect |
| Singapore | beIN Sports 3 | StarHub TV+, beIN Sports Connect |
