Real Betis have won all three of their Champions League games this season, and on Wednesday night they take that record to Borussia Dortmund. For Marc Bartra it is a trip back to a club he knows well. The defender joined Betis from Dortmund in 2018.
The game at Signal Iduna Park kicks off at 21:00 CET. The two clubs have never met in a competitive match, and it is the first time Betis have faced a German team in the Champions League proper.
Nine points from nine for Betis
Manuel Pellegrini’s side won 3-2 at Lille on the first night. They then beat Porto 3-2 in Seville and got past Feyenoord 1-0. Nine points put them fifth in the league phase table.
It is the first time in the club’s history that Betis have won three Champions League games in a row. Their last time in the competition was in 2005/06, when they went out in the group stage.
The form has carried into La Liga. Betis beat Málaga 2-1 at the weekend.
A mixed start for Dortmund
Niko Kovač’s team have six points and sit 13th. They won 2-1 away at Sabah, lost 1-0 at Bodø/Glimt and then beat Villarreal 3-2 at home.
Dortmund come into the game after a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich on Saturday. At home in Europe they have a good record against Spanish teams. They have won their last four UEFA games against clubs from Spain, all of them in Dortmund.
Pellegrini and Dortmund
This will be Pellegrini’s 70th game as a coach in the Champions League. He has worked in the competition with five different clubs.
Dortmund fans will remember one of those ties. In the 2012/13 quarter-finals, Pellegrini’s Málaga were knocked out by Dortmund. Isco played for Málaga against them back then, and he is expected to start for Betis on Wednesday.
Our take
Betis have scored seven goals in three games and look comfortable in this competition. Dortmund at home are a harder test than anything they have faced so far.
A win for Betis would give them 12 points from four games. A Dortmund win would lift Kovač’s side to nine points and level with the Spanish club.
Can Bartra and Betis make it four wins from four at his old ground? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Marc Bartra by Gabriel Corbacho (CC BY-SA 4.0); Manuel Pellegrini by Junta de Andalucía (CC BY-SA 4.0); Manuel Pellegrini and Antony by Anual (CC BY-SA 4.0); Signal Iduna Park by Dirk Vorderstraße (CC BY 2.0).
