On Saturday night, Barcelona faced Real Betis in their 32nd La Liga game of the season. Real Betis, placed 6th on the table before the game, were expected to give Barcelona a tough challenge. Marc Andre ter Stegen started in goal for Barcelona with a defensive lineup consisting of Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, and Alejandro Balde. Sergio Busquets returned as the pivot, with Pedri and Frenkie de Jong playing as interiors. Robert Lewandowski was the central striker with Raphinha and Gavi completing the lineup.
It took Barcelona a while to settle into the game, but by the 10th minute, they had taken control. They scored their first goal in the 14th minute through a spectacular header from Andreas Christensen. Real Betis had to make a defensive change after just 12 minutes as Edgar Gonzalez replaced the injured Luiz Felipe, and the game went downhill for them from that point. Gonzalez was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession for rough challenges on Raphinha and Pedri, leaving Real Betis with ten men.
Barcelona took advantage of their numerical advantage and scored their second goal just three minutes later. Jules Kounde's low cross found Lewandowski in front of the goal, who calmly slotted it into the bottom corner. Raphinha netted Barcelona's third goal in the 39th minute with a composed finish, receiving Busquets' through ball in the Betis box and chipping it into the goal. Heading into the halftime break, Xavi Hernandez's men had virtually sealed the three points over Manuel Pellegrini's side, boasting a commanding three-goal advantage.
In the second half, Barcelona continued to dominate the game and created numerous chances. However, they were unable to convert them into goals, with Lewandowski striking the post in the 57th minute. Andreas Christensen and Frenkie de Jong left the field for Marcos Alonso and Ansu Fati at the hour mark.
Barcelona's threat continued after the changes, with Ansu Fati scoring the fourth goal in the 82nd minute from a tight angle on the right side.
Real Betis suffered another blow when Joaquin had to leave the field in the 80th minute after sustaining a knee injury, and Pellegrini did not have enough substitutions to bring on a replacement. Real Betis were thus left with nine men for the final ten minutes. Lamine Yamal came on for Gavi for the closing minutes, becoming Barcelona's youngest ever debutant. With this win, Barcelona move to 79 points and retain their 11-point gap over Real Madrid with six games to go, needing just seven more points to mathematically seal the title
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