BVBDortmundClub page
BETReal BetisClub page
Squad value€587.9m
Squad value€258.1m
Key playerSehrou Guirassy
Key playerCucho Hernández
Head coachNiko Kovac
Head coachManuel Pellegrini
Live on Canal+ · France
Live on DAZN or Prime Video · Germany
Live on RTÉ, Premier Sports or Virgin Media · Ireland
Live on Sky Sport or Prime Video · Italy
Live on Ziggo Sport · Netherlands
Live on Movistar Plus+ · Spain
Live on TNT Sports or Prime Video · UK
Live on Paramount+, TUDN or DAZN · USA
Dortmund's front three jump on your centre-backs; Betis use the ball to slow the game and stop a big side running.
“Pressing Asfissiante: I trequartisti e il centravanti escono immediatamente in pressione forte sui centrali avversari in fase di prima costruzione, cercando di sporcare le traiettorie e forzare l’errore.”Suffocating pressing: the attacking midfielders and the centre-forward immediately press the opposing centre-backs hard as they start the build-up, trying to disrupt their passing and force mistakes. our translation
“El conjunto verdiblanco construyó su victoria a partir de una idea muy concreta: reducir los espacios interiores, evitar esfuerzos defensivos prolongados y utilizar la posesión como mecanismo para controlar el ritmo del encuentro.”Betis built their win on a very specific idea: shrink the space in the middle, avoid long spells of defending, and use possession to control the tempo of the game. our translation
Dortmund push their whole defence up, and one pass through them leaves a lot of space. Give Betis space to run into and they punish you.
“Esta circunstancia encaja a la perfección con una de las grandes virtudes del conjunto verdiblanco: la velocidad y precisión al contragolpe para hacer daño con espacio por delante.”That fits perfectly with one of Betis's great strengths: speed and precision on the counter, hurting you when they have space ahead. our translation
“The high press worked rather well, even if the equally high defensive line naturally invited counters.”Dortmund are slight favourites, and corners and free kicks into the Betis box are the moment to watch: Pellegrini says that is where they keep giving goals away. Almost everything good from Betis comes down the touchlines, with Antony on the right and Abde on the left running straight at their marker. If Betis are ahead late on, watch them stop controlling it and start hanging on. When Kovac turns it up, Dortmund keep the ball and send more players forward.
“Yo creo que fue más un problema de rendimiento individual, se cometen errores, sobre todo en balones detenidos que no se puede dar esa ventaja”I think it was more a problem of individual performance; mistakes are being made, above all at set pieces, where you cannot hand over that advantage our translation
MARCA, Miguel Á. Morán, 29 Aug 2026
“Como el año pasado, con Abde y Antony como estiletes, contra la Real Sociedad otra vez generó peligro por las bandas.”As they did last year, with Abde and Antony as the sharp points, they once again created danger down the wings against Real Sociedad. our translation
Estadio Deportivo, Javier Carbonero, 22 Aug 2026
“Ahí se repitió también una seña de identidad de la temporada pasada, que tiene que ver con la necesidad de mejorar el control de juego en determinadas fases.”There, another hallmark of last season repeated itself too, one that has to do with the need to improve their control of the game in certain phases. our translation
Estadio Deportivo, Javier Carbonero, 22 Aug 2026
“They kept the ball more assertively, attacked with greater aggression and pushed more bodies forward.”Kovač himself says Dortmund have to play much faster and more precisely than they have been.
“Wir müssen sehr viel schneller und genauer spielen.”We have to play much faster and more precisely. our translation
Get past their first wave of pressure and there is a huge amount of grass behind their defence.
“Se la prima pressione a ridosso dell’area avversaria salta, o se la mediana commette un errore di posizionamento, la difesa del Dortmund si trova esposta a transizioni rapide in campo aperto su ben 40 metri di campo scoperto alle proprie spalle.”If the first press near the opponents' box is beaten, or the midfield is out of position, Dortmund's defence is exposed to fast breaks across a good 40 metres of open pitch behind it. our translation
They push right up the pitch and chase the ball from the first whistle. Their wide players drift inside rather than staying on the touchline, so the middle gets crowded.
“The press remained aggressive, Guirassy remained the reference point, and Kovač increasingly used inverted wing-backs to manufacture central overloads.”Without the ball they drop into a compact shape in the middle of the pitch.
“El Betis optó por momentos por un bloque medio y compacto, desplazándose de lado a lado para dificultar la circulación madridista.”At times Betis chose a compact mid block, shifting from side to side to make Madrid's passing difficult. our translation
Betis like to keep the ball and pass through you, with the odd ball in behind.
“En el librillo táctico de Pellegrini se apuesta por un ataque de posesión y combinación alternándolo con un juego profundo.”Pellegrini's tactical playbook is built on attacking through possession and combination, mixed with a more direct game. our translation
How hard Betis press depends on who they are playing.
“Pellegrini es bastante versátil en cuanto a cómo utiliza la presión, también apuntando como clave el rival que tiene enfrente.”Pellegrini is quite versatile in how he uses pressing, depending above all on the opponent in front of him. our translation