FC Barcelona just can't stop winning this season. After eight games in La Liga and two in the Champions League they have yet to drop a single point. What's more, they're winning in style. Every one of those victories has been by two goals or (usually) more, including the impressive recovery to thump Galatasary 4-1 in Istanbul last Tuesday.

But keeping up that record for another week won't be easy. There are games with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain right around the corner, and before that comes another tough challenge this Saturday at 6.30pm CEST.

Under their coach Manuel Pellegrini, Real Betis are in top form and are currently joint second in the Liga table, matched with Atlético Madrid on 19 points.

Betis on form

In fact, the Andalusians are also enjoying their best ever start to a league season. Six wins and a draw from eight games equals their record beginning in 1934/35, the year they went on to win their first and only league title.

Other than a nasty 5-2 loss at Levante and a 1-1 draw with Deportivo, every other game has been a win, including major scalps in Real Madrid and Villarreal.

Their first appearance in the Champions League since 2005 is also very much going to plan. They beat Lille on the opening day and have just come back from Porto with another three points to celebrate.

Head to head

This is never a fixture to take lightly, but Barça a wonderful recent record at the Benito Villamarin, where Betis usually play, and at La Cartuja, which they are temporarily using (and which was the scene of Barça's last two Copa del Rey wins). The Catalans have won on eleven of their last fifteen visits, while the other four were draws. That's Betis' longest ever drought at home to the same team in the league, despite the fact that have actually won away to Barça twice in recent memory.

What's more, Barça have not failed to score away to Betis in twenty attempts, racking up an impressive 52 goals in the process. But all that is history. The fact is that the current Betis crop is one of the best ever. But it's no less true that if Barça can continue the kind of form they have been showing until now, the team that has to worry most about Saturday's game is the one wearing green and white.  

Barça buzzing

Barça have already matched their best ever start to a league season, and victory this weekend would equal the league record of nine, set by Real Madrid in 1968/69.

In setting that run, Barça have almost been scoring goals for fun. Their tally of 34 is far higher than that of any other side in the competition.

Raphinha was having an electric start to the season, but he sat out the last two games with a minor injury sustained while on international duty. Coach Hansi Flick said on Friday that the Brazilian is ready to go again on Saturday, while there was also good news regarding Frenkie de Jong, who has yet to feature in 2026/27, but is now back to full fitness.

It means Roony Bardghji and Andreas Christensen are now the only absentees.

Lamine Yamal, who can make almost anything happen down the wing, has also enjoyed an extraordinary first few games this season, with a hand in twelve goals in eight league games: seven goals and five assists. With the ball at his feet, football seems a much simpler game than it really is.

For Betis, Isco offers a different way of controlling proceedings. With two goals, he is among the club's leading scorers in La Liga, alongside Cucho, Riquelme former Barça man Abde. And Barça seem to bring out Isco's goalscoring instincts: he has scored three times in his four league appearances against them in a Betis shirt.

The home side are also in fairly good shape injury-wise, with only Junior Firpo and Aitor Ruibal expected to miss out in this one.