Gent v Real Betis: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Gent finished in 17th place at the conclusion of the UEFA Conference League league phase with three wins and three defeats, while Real Betis ended up one point and two places better off.

Gent v Real Betis betting tips and predictions

Gent to win - 13/5

Both of these teams will probably be disappointed with their respective league phase campaigns, but both will see this play-off tie as a winnable assignment.

Betis were among the pre-tournament favourites to go all the way and the La Liga outfit are still heavily fancied at 8/1 to win the UEFA Conference League outright, behind only Chelsea and Fiorentina.

The visitors are deserved favourites to win this tie and qualify for the last 16, but Gent can make the most of home advantage and strike first by winning the first leg.

The Belgian outfit won all three of their league phase home games and they have a near-perfect home record in Europe this season with five wins and a draw including qualifiers.

Admittedly, Betis are the toughest opponents they will have hosted but the visitors come into this game in poor form and look vulnerable.

Manuel Pellegrini’s men have four defeats in their last six games across all competitions and two of those defeats have come against teams in La Liga’s relegation zone.

Betis also lost at Czech outfit Mlada Boleslav and to Legia Warsaw in Poland during the league phase, so they have found road games in this competition tricky, and Gent can take advantage.

De Buffalos have six wins and just one defeat in their last nine at home across all competitions and at 13/5 they look great value to pull off a minor upset and inflict another European away defeat on Betis. 

Dante Vanzeir to score at any time - 4/1

Gent’s winter recruit Dante Vanzeir already looks like a shrewd acquisition after joining from MLS side New York Red Bulls.

The former Union SG forward struggled in the United States with just six goals in 37 MLS games last season, but he has a decent strike rate in Belgium and has hit the ground running for Gent.

He scored his first goal for the club on his second start against another one of his former teams - Mechelen - at the weekend.

Despite his mixed form, Vanzeir did finish with a flourish in New York with two goals in his final four games - meaning he has three goals in his last six competitive starts - and he can find a way through against a Betis side who have shipped 13 goals across their last five games. 

Over 3.5 Goals - 2/1

The league phase games involving these sides were generally low-scoring, but there is a chance they could serve up a thriller in this play-off first leg.

As mentioned above, Betis’ defence has struggled of late with 13 goals shipped across their last five games - four of which have seen over 3.5 goals scored in total.

However, Los Verdiblancos have been scoring themselves and they’ve gone 13 games without drawing a blank.

Gent have scored in nine consecutive home games, but have just one clean sheet in their last four at this venue, while they were involved in a 3-3 draw at Mechelen in their last fixture.

The signs suggest both of these teams can contribute and they may be able to combine for at least four goals in total. 

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Gent v Real Betis odds

Gent - 13/5
Draw - 13/5
Real Betis - 19/20

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.