After a shock defeat against Athletic Bilbao in their La Liga opener, Barcelona will be looking to pick up their first win of the season at home against Real Betis on Monday (5am AEST).
The odds are stacked in favour of Ernesto Valverde's team grabbing all three points in their second game of the campaign with Sportsbet valuing a Barca win at $1.22.
Despite injuries to key players such as Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele plus the departure of Philippe Coutinho, the sheer strength of the squad is expected to see off the challenge posed by Real Betis. The Catalans have also been boosted by a potential return from injury of star man Lionel Messi, who will likely lead the line alongside new recruit Antoine Griezmann.
Betis, who finished 10th in the league last season and lost 2-1 last weekend to Valladolid, are being given next to no chance of claiming a surprise win ($10) with a draw also deemed unlikely ($6).
The Green and Whites did however stun Barcelona last season winning 4-3 at Camp Nou in November before being humbled 4-1 at home in March.
The odds for both teams to score are at $1.66 and a high-scoring contest (over 2.5 goals) is being traded at an incredible low $1.33 - a testament to how both these teams have approached this fixture in the past.
Valverde's men are backed to win by more than two goals at handicapped odds of $2.75 with the last 10 clashes at the Nou Camp averaging a total of 2.6 goals and Barca's superstar attack regularly doing its part to entertain.
Betis are not averse to hitting teams with goals when they least expect them and their attacking output could prove to be a nuisance for Valverde's defence, who may struggle to keep a clean sheet ($2.25) after conceding late against Bilbao last weekend.
Odds correct at the time of publishing. Please gamble responsibly. Check out the latest football odds at Sportsbet.
