I expect both Athletic and Betis to secure comfortable home victories, as the disparity between them and their respective opponents is significant.

ATHLETIC - SEVILLA

Athletic is currently one of the top teams in the league. They’re playing with great confidence, performing exceptionally well, and several key players are in excellent form. They come into this match after a solid midweek performance against Roma, which further boosted their morale. In that game, some regular starters like De Marcos, Berenguer, Vesga, and their star player Nico Williams were rested starting on the bench.

For this fixture, Athletic is expected to field their strongest lineup, with Nico Williams returning to the starting XI, which will be a significant boost for the team. He’s a fantastic player and very challenging to defend against. Athletic has won four of their last five games, with the only loss being an unfortunate 0-1 defeat to Atletico, where they played well, deserved to win, had a goal disallowed by VAR, and conceded a late goal during extra time.

At home, Athletic is an intense and formidable team. They’re difficult to beat, with rivals needing to be extremely efficient, have a solid defense, and match their intensity—something Getafe managed in the first round, but Sevilla lacks these attributes.

Sevilla is in a dire situation. I believe this squad doesn’t suit the coach’s tactics, which rely on ball possession, high pressing, and leaving a lot of space at the back. Their defenders are too slow to handle this style, making them vulnerable to counterattacks, particularly against Athletic’s fast wingers, Nico and Iñaki Williams. Sevilla has been playing poorly, struggling to create chances while conceding many. They’ve only won two games so far, despite an easy schedule against relegation-zone teams. Their only serious opponent, Girona, defeated them 0-2.

I don’t see how Sevilla will be able to defend here. They’ll struggle significantly with Athletic’s counterattacks, and I can’t see them securing any points in this game. Athletic is in excellent form, and the difference in quality, form, and motivation is substantial. Last season, Athletic won both matches: 2-0 and 2-0.

BETIS - ESPANYOL

Betis is coming off a loss to Mallorca and a draw against Las Palmas—two results they didn’t expect, especially after back-to-back victories against Leganés and Getafe, where they played very well. Lo Celso has been a fantastic addition to the team. His presence on the field significantly elevates Betis’s performance. Despite only playing four games, he has already scored four goals. His influence was much needed for a team struggling to score and convert chances.

Another player in great form is Abde, who is full of confidence, creating numerous opportunities, and posing a constant threat to defenses.

For this match, I expect Betis to field a competitive striker, as Assane hasn’t shown he’s up to La Liga’s level. Bakambu or Chimy Avila are likely to start up front.

Espanyol has been one of the worst teams in the league. Yes, they’ve managed to collect some points, but those were at home, in fortunate circumstances, often with late goals. When facing serious teams like Villarreal, Madrid, and Atletico, they were thoroughly outplayed and conceded many goals.

Espanyol faces a dilemma: they can’t be too offensive because their defense is poor, requiring them to commit more players to defense. However, they also can’t afford to be too defensive due to their lack of quality up front, which forces them to create more chances to score. Their only real threat in attack is Puado, their best player. The reality is that Espanyol’s team this season is weaker than their squad from last season in the Segunda Division.

I see Betis having much more quality and motivation to win here. They are strong at home, and I expect them to dominate the game, create plenty of chances, and secure a comfortable victory.

我希望竞技和贝蒂斯都能在主场取得舒适的胜利，因为他们和各自对手之间的差距很大。

竞技-塞维利亚

竞技队目前是联赛中的强队之一。他们打得很有信心，表现得非常好，几个关键球员状态非常好。他们在周中对阵罗马的比赛中表现稳定，这进一步鼓舞了他们的士气。在那场比赛中，一些常规首发球员，如德马科斯、贝伦格尔、维斯加和他们的明星球员尼科·威廉姆斯都在替补席上休息。

在这场比赛中，竞技有望派出他们最强的阵容，尼科·威廉姆斯将重返首发阵容，这对球队来说将是一个重大的推动。他是一名出色的球员，很难防守。竞技在最近的五场比赛中取得了四场胜利，唯一的一场失利是不幸的0-1输给马竞，他们踢得很好，应该获胜，但一个进球被VAR判无效，并在加时赛最后阶段失球。

在主场，竞技是一支激烈而强大的球队。他们很难被击败，对手需要非常高效，有坚实的防守，并匹配他们的强度——赫塔菲在第一轮就做到了，但塞维利亚缺乏这些特质。

塞维利亚的情况很糟糕。我认为这支球队不适合教练的战术，他的战术依赖于控球、高压逼抢和在后场留下大量空间。他们的后卫速度太慢，无法应对这种风格，使他们容易受到反击，特别是面对竞技的快速边锋尼科和Iñaki威廉姆斯。塞维利亚踢得很差，在努力创造机会的同时也丢了很多球。到目前为止，他们只赢了两场比赛，尽管对阵降级区球队的赛程很轻松。他们唯一的劲敌赫罗纳0-2击败了他们。

我不认为塞维利亚有能力在这里防守。他们将在竞技的反击中挣扎，我不认为他们能在这场比赛中获得任何分数。运动员的状态非常好，在质量、状态和动机上的差异是巨大的。上赛季，马竞以2比0和2比0赢得了两场比赛。

贝蒂斯-西班牙人

贝蒂斯刚刚结束了输给马洛卡和战平拉斯帕尔马斯的两场比赛，这是他们没有预料到的结果，尤其是在背对背战胜莱甘萨梅斯和赫塔菲之后，他们在这两场比赛中都打得很好。洛·塞尔索对球队来说是一个非常棒的补充。他在场上的表现大大提升了贝蒂斯的表现。尽管只踢了4场比赛，他已经进了4个球。他的影响力对于一支努力得分和转化机会的球队来说是非常需要的。

另一位状态极佳的球员是阿伯德，他充满信心，创造了无数的机会，并不断对防守构成威胁。

对于这场比赛，我希望贝蒂斯派出一名有竞争力的前锋，因为阿萨内还没有显示出他达到西甲的水平。Bakambu或Chimy Avila可能会在前场首发。

西班牙人一直是联赛中表现最差的球队之一。是的，他们已经设法拿到了一些积分，但那些都是在主场，在幸运的情况下，通常是在最后时刻进球。当面对比利亚雷亚尔、马德里和马竞这样的强队时，他们被彻底击败，丢了很多球。

西班牙人面临着一个两难境地:他们不能太有攻击性，因为他们的防守很差，这就需要他们投入更多的球员来防守。然而，他们也不能过于防守，因为他们的前场缺乏质量，这迫使他们创造更多的得分机会。他们唯一真正的威胁是他们最好的球员普阿多。现实情况是，本赛季西班牙人队的阵容比他们上赛季在乙级联赛中的阵容弱。

我看到贝蒂斯在这里有更强的实力和动力去赢球。他们在主场很强大，我希望他们能统治比赛，创造大量的机会，并确保一场轻松的胜利。