Real Betis will face Nottingham Forest this Wednesday at the Estadio de la Cartuja, kicking off at 21:00. The match marks the beginning of their Europa League campaign, where Betis is considered one of the potential contenders alongside teams such as Nottingham Forest, Roma, Porto, Aston Villa, and Olympique Lyon. Historically, Betis has struggled against English teams, having won just once in their previous nine encounters.
That lone victory came in a memorable 1-0 win against Chelsea during the group stages of the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League. On November 1, Dani’s goal led Betis to victory against a strong Chelsea side managed by José Mourinho, featuring star players like Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. This win remains a highlight, but since then, Betis has often faced defeats against English clubs.
The most recent encounter resulted in a defeat to Chelsea in the Conference League final, where Betis initially led 1-0 before the Blues overturned the deficit to win 4-1. Chelsea has been a regular opponent for Betis in European competitions, with previous meetings in the 1997-98 Cup Winners’ Cup and twice in the 2005-06 Champions League group stages, where Chelsea secured victories in both legs.
In that same Champions League campaign, Betis faced Liverpool, the reigning European champions at the time, suffering a 1-2 defeat at home before managing a goalless draw at Anfield. Additionally, Betis recently clashed with Manchester United in the 2022-23 Europa League round of 16, resulting in a 4-1 loss at Old Trafford and a narrow 0-1 defeat at home.
Now, Betis looks to turn their fortunes around against Nottingham Forest, a team with a storied history of winning back-to-back European titles in 1979 and 1980. This match represents Nottingham Forest’s inaugural visit to Seville and marks Betis’ first European fixture at the Estadio de la Cartuja. The stadium previously hosted the 2002-03 UEFA Cup final, where Porto triumphed over Celtic under Mourinho’s management.
Betis aims to leverage this opportunity to make a strong start in the Europa League, hoping to surpass their past performances against English clubs and build momentum in the tournament.