Betis vs Levante (La Liga): odds and bets 23.05.2026

The final matchday and a very different context: Betis arrive having done their homework and with a Champions League ticket in the bag, whilst Levante are playing for their lives. The match is at La Cartuja and, in these ‘finals’, the script is almost always dictated by necessity: the team that can secure survival with a point tends to sit back and manage the game, whilst the team with nothing at stake can rotate their squad… but also let loose and play without pressure.

I’m looking at two key factors. One, the mood: Levante have been improving and arrive on a positive run; Betis, having achieved their objective, may be a bit more ‘emotional’ (farewells, tributes, minutes for the less regular players). Two, the pace of the match: if Levante survive the initial onslaught, the tension will rise and we’ll see fouls, interruptions and little details that decide the outcome more than the final score.

Betis

Betis have had a solid season, with statistics that reflect a reliable side capable of competing at different levels. At home, they are usually recognisable: they keep the ball well, are patient in building up play and pose a real threat when they manage to penetrate centrally and release their wingers. They are the sort of team that, if they find their rhythm, will pin you back with long periods of possession and gradually wear you down.

What changes today is the context. With the main objective already in the bag, the match can be played with a different intensity: there may be rotations, playing time for less regular players and that ‘end-of-season’ feeling that sometimes takes the intensity down a notch in matches. Even so, I don’t expect Betis to take it easy. Pellegrini usually demands seriousness and, besides, at this stage of the season there are always players with something at stake: renewing their contracts, proving themselves, finishing on a high, or leaving on a positive note.

In footballing terms, if Betis step up a gear, they have the weapons to cause damage: talent in the spaces, good ball control on the edge of the box and the ability to flood the area with crosses when the opposition sit deep. My concern is clear: when the opposition is a team fighting for survival, the match becomes more physical and more scrappy, and Betis have to match their intensity so they don’t get dragged into the mud. If they do match it, their quality usually tips the balance.

Levante

Levante arrive under pressure yet buoyed by the knowledge that their fate is in their own hands. In such situations, mental fortitude counts for a lot: the team that manages the clock, tactical fouls and the tempo best often wins half the match without needing to be the better side. I expect a very pragmatic Levante: a compact unit, conceding as little as possible in the middle and breaking quickly when they win the ball.

Their Achilles heel usually surfaces away from home: they struggle to sustain long matches without conceding chances, and if they sit too deep, they end up giving away crosses and second-ball opportunities. But here the script favours them because they don’t need to carry the burden. The scrappier the match gets, the better for them. If they make it to the final stages still in the game, they can start to play on Betis’s anxiety (if Betis switch to ‘routine’ mode) and, above all, on the desperation of a team fighting for their lives: every corner, every throw-in, every 50-50 ball is worth its weight in gold.

A Levante side that plays a long, calculated game, biding its time, suits me down to the ground. And if they take the lead, all the better: then they can turn it into a game of survival and time-wasting, which is exactly where teams with a real sense of urgency feel most comfortable.

Referee: Mateo Busquets Ferrer

The referee is Mateo Busquets Ferrer and, for disciplinary bets, he is a figure to bear in mind. In tense matches he tends to make quick decisions, and that usually results in a scenario with quite a few bookings, especially when there are protests, time-wasting and tactical fouls to slow down transitions.

In a clash where one side is fighting for survival, the risk of cards goes up a notch for purely logical reasons: nerves, late challenges, arguments with the referee and time-wasting. If the score is tight in the second half, I’d expect a heated final stretch in that regard.