Barcelona has become Real Betis' main rival to break its unbeaten streak at home. The Barça team arrives at La Cartuja with an impressive streak of ten wins in ten official matches, and Betis, which has gone 15 games without losing in its stadium, faces an opponent that has been responsible for ending three of its longest unbeaten series at home.
Betis has turned the Benito Villamarín into a fortress in recent years, equaling its best record of the 21st century with 15 games without defeat and occupying fifth position on the list of the longest streaks in the club's history. The next appointment with Barcelona represents a historic challenge, since the rival has been responsible for ending three of Betis' longest unbeaten streaks at home.
The first of these breaks occurred between 1983 and 1984, when Betis reached a streak of 26 games without losing. Barcelona closed that record on September 29, 1984 with a 1‑2 at the Benito Villamarín, after a comeback by the Blaugranas that featured goals from Schuster and Alexanco. At that time, Betis was managed by Pepe Alzate and Barcelona by Terry Venables.
The second series occurred in the 1963/64 season, when Betis went 19 games without defeat at home. Barcelona, under the direction of César Rodríguez, achieved a 2-3 victory in the last match of the campaign, with goals from Rogelio and Ansola for Betis and a comeback for the visitors from Zaldúa, Segarra and Cayetano Ré. That season, Betis finished third and Barcelona second in the table.
The third break occurred in October 1995, when Johan Cruyff's Barcelona beat Betis 1-5 at the Villamarín. Betis' goals were from Pier, while the visitors had Roger, Figo, Celades, Toni Velamazán and Iván de la Peña. At that time, Betis was managed by Lorenzo Serra Ferrer.
The last meeting between the two teams last season, in December, saw Barcelona win 5‑3, marking the end of Betis' last unbeaten streak at home. Since then, the green and white club has gone 15 games without defeat in its stadium. Next Saturday, Betis will try to preserve its historic fortress against a Barcelona team that has proven to be a decisive rival to break its unbeaten streak at home.