Barca building head of steam

Xavi has made a solid start to his tenure as Barcelona manager but faces his biggest test yet when they host top-four hopefuls Real Betis this weekend.

The Catalan giants have so far beaten Espanyol and Villarreal either side of a draw with Benfica in Xavi’s first three games in charge and are showing signs of a turnaround in form.

The victory over Villarreal was their first away win of the season and they have a great chance to continue their rebuild against Betis, who have lost to Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Sevilla recently, suggesting they struggle with these kinds of fixtures. The Andalusian visitors are worth opposing.

No La Liga club have picked up more points at home this season than Rayo Vallecano, who have won six and drawn one of their seven matches on home soil.

They are serious contenders for a European berth and can get the better of Espanyol, who are yet to win on the road in La Liga this campaign.