Altimira Hungry to Relive Derbi Magic as Betis Target Third Straight Win Over Sevilla
Sergi Altimira is eyeing a return to the starting XI for Sunday's Seville derby, still buzzing from his stunner at the Pizjuán earlier this season.
Sergi Altimira sat out last Saturday’s draw with Rayo Vallecano, but the Catalan midfielder is well and truly focused on what comes next — and what comes next is the Seville derby.
Bench rest before the big one
Altimira had been a near ever-present for Betis across nine consecutive appearances in La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League before Pellegrini left him unused against Rayo. It looks very much like a calculated breather ahead of Sunday’s clash with Sevilla at the Estadio de La Cartuja — and you can understand why the gaffer might want his man fresh for that one.
The midfielder is still absolutely buzzing from the first leg of this season’s derby, when he rifled in a goal at the Sánchez-Pizjuán to seal the win for Betis on Sevilla’s own patch. “Marcar en un derbi es algo que no se olvida nunca” — scoring in a derby is something you never forget — and honestly, fair enough. That sort of thing stays with you.
A personal record worth protecting
What makes Sunday even more mouth-watering from Altimira’s perspective is that he’s yet to lose a Seville derby. He’s won both he’s featured in, and the chance to make it a hat-trick of victories over your city rivals is the kind of thing that gets a footballer properly motivated.
- Two derbis played. Two derbis won. He’ll want to keep that record spotless.
- Sunday would also be the first-ever Seville derby at La Cartuja, which adds a bit of extra spice to the occasion.
- Altimira has been one of the standout stories of Betis’s season — his development and rising market value have been proper noticeable over the past couple of campaigns.
Where Betis stand right now
Betis are in a decent place, all things considered. Fifth in La Liga, through to the last 16 of the Europa League, and still in good nick heading into the business end of the season. The one blot on the copybook was a forgettable Copa del Rey quarter-final exit to Atlético de Madrid at — ironically — La Cartuja itself.
Altimira reckons the key to their season has been “absolute consistency”, and it’s hard to argue with that. They’ve been solid without always being spectacular, which in La Liga is often exactly what you need.
As for Sevilla, they’re not coming into this in the best nick — but as Altimira himself pointed out, form tends to go out the window in a derby. The home crowd at La Cartuja will be right up for it, and Betis will be desperate to send them home happy in what is a genuinely historic occasion for the fixture.
All eyes on Sunday, then.