Real Betis vs Como friendly descends into chaos with ex-Premier League ace SLAPPING opponent and punches thrown
The Spanish and Italian clubs were playing their penultimate friendlies before the competitive season begins.
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Pablo Fornals squared up with a rival during a pre-season friendly between Real Betis and Como
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He was seen hitting former Man City star Maximo Perrone in the face
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That resulted in players from both teams rushing over
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It caused a mass melee before the end of the first half
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Betis star Natan was accidentally punched in the face by team-mate Cucho Hernandez during the chaos
Credit: Getty
Wednesday evening proved the two sides had certainly found their competitive edge in pre-season.
Cesc Fabregas' Serie A side won the clash 3-2, but not before trying to go 12 rounds with their rivals after a stunning brawl erupted at the end of the first half.
Former West Ham star Pablo Fornals was at the centre of the fracas as he exchanged blows with Máximo Perrone.
The rivals were seen squaring up to one another before they got involved in a shoving match.
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That was abruptly ended when Fornals appeared to PUNCH Perrone, with the Argentine then trying strike the 29-year-old.
However, he was unable to do so as Betis and Como players rushed over to intervene, before many of them also ended up in grappling matches of their own while trying to diffuse the situation.
There was one unfortunately ludicrous moment in the melee as Cucho Hernandez came flying in to try and land a punch on a rival, only to punch his own team-mate, Natan, in the face instead.
Fornals avoided being sent off despite landing the first blow, with the same lack of punishment also going to Hernandez following his attempted flying punch.
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However, former Manchester City star Perrone was not so lucky and was sent for an early shower.
In the aftermath, ex-Arsenal star Hector Bellerin tried to speak to the referee to get the situation under control.
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But the Spaniard instead became more and more animated as he grew frustrated with the referee who opted to send him off as well.
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The 30-year-old was guided away from the official while still protesting, before tempers between the teams flared AGAIN by the tunnel.
In a rarely seen move, Bellerin's red card was REVERSED before the end of the first half.
Both teams are now at risk of retrospective punishment.
Europa Conference League runner-up Betis take on newly-promoted Elche in their LaLiga opener.
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Como - who recently "banished" Dele Alli from their squad - will play Suditrol in the first round of the Coppa Italia before facing Lazio in their Serie A opener.
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Hector Bellerin was seen arguing with the ref after he was sent off in the scuffle
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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But he too got overly heated by the situation, before his red card was reversed
Credit: Getty
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A bet on the Gunners to win the league with Liverpool finishing second is 6/1 with talkSPORT Bet. Arsenal/Man City pays 8/1 and Arsenal/Chelsea is 16/1. If you believe Liverpool will finish top, you can back Liverpool/Arsenal at 5/1 and Liverpool/Man City at 6/1. Elsewhere, Liverpool/Chelsea is 14/1 and Man City/Chelsea is 25/1. We are edging towards an Arsenal/Chelsea bet at 16/1 - and with the odds this long, we can hedge Arsenal/Liverpool at 6/1 to give us a second chance of winning. Why Arsenal/Chelsea? Well, we have already given our views on why we think Arsenal will win the league, so we don't need to go there again. As for Chelsea - they just seem to be heading in the right direction after a few years in the wilderness. The Blues finished last season strongly, and then in the summer they added the FIFA Club World Cup to their remarkable trophy haul. They have also made a couple of great signings in the front line in Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and João Pedro from Brighton. These two will offer Enzo Maresca different options, and in the case of Delap, he could be a perfect foil for Cole Palmer. We still don't see Chelsea winning the league, they are maybe a couple of years away from challenging for that. But it wouldn't be a surprise to see them competing in the top four with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City - so why not back them for a top two finish at the better odds. ➡️ Back an Arsenal/Chelsea straight forecast at 16/1 with talkSPORT BET Cole Palmer to be top goalscorer (20/1) This is a bit of an outside bet based on the fact that we can see Chelsea having a strong season and possibly finishing in the top two or three. We believe Cole Palmer is a good outside bet to win the Golden Boot at a massive looking 20/1 with bet365. The bookie is offering ¼ of the odds for an each-way place in the top four in this market, and that makes Palmer look an even stronger bet. Palmer had a poor second half to the Premier League season in 2024/25, but he still finished the campaign with 15 goals (joint-eighth). A solid second half of the season probably wouldn't have seen him beating Salah's 29-goal haul, but would have almost certainly seen him score the six more he needed to be inside the top four scorers. Furthermore, Palmer was the second highest scorer in the Premier League in the 2023/24 season with 22 goals, finishing second only to Erling Haaland. Surely Enzo Maresca will have learned the lessons from the second half of last season and will now play a system that gets the best out of Palmer. The former-Manchester City man is key to the London club's success. He is getting better every season, and if Chelsea keep improving with him, the chances are he will be the talisman that one day wins them the title. We can see big things from both the player and the team this season. This makes a bet on Palmer to be the top scorer at 20/1 great value. And better still, with it being each-way, we have a second chance of winning if he finishes second, third or fourth in the Golden Boot pecking order. ➡️ Back Cole Palmer each-way to be the top Premier League scorer at 20/1 with bet365 (paying four each-way places) What happened in the 2024/25 Premier League season Manchester City started the 2024/25 Premier League season as the red hot favourites to make it five titles in a row. Arsenal were expected to be the team to challenge City, especially with Liverpool starting life without Jurgen Klopp. How wrong did the bookmakers get it? City were woeful compared to previous seasons, finishing third with just 71 points, 20 fewer than in their 2023/24 title winning campaign. Liverpool eventually won the league with 84 points, ten clear of Arsenal, who focused the majority of their resources on their run to the Champions League semi-final. Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur will compete in the Champions League alongside Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City next season. They will be joined in European competition by Aston Villa, the overachieving Nottingham Forest and FA Cup winners Crystal Palace. Other teams who were involved in the race for European places were Brighton, Bournemouth and Fulham - all had excellent seasons, which was in direct contrast to Manchester United, who finished 15th on 42 points, and Spurs, who finished 17th on 38. The silver lining for Spurs was that they clinched a place in the Champions League by lifting the Europa League trophy. At the bottom end of the table, Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton went down to the Championship. This was the second successive year that the three promoted teams were immediately relegated. Looking to break that sequence this season is Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland. When to place Premier League outright bets Deciding whether to place your EPL outright bets preseason or when the campaign is up and running can be tricky. In the case of an outright Premier League winner bet, if you back a team preseason to win the title and your selection gets off to a flyer, you are patting yourself on the back when you see the bookies quickly slash their odds. However, if your selection gets off to a stinking start, you can be kicking yourself when their odds lengthen. The key thing here is to remember the league season is a long process. So why not put half your stake on your Premier League winner bet preseason, and if your team gets off to a poor start, or drops off in form (as they inevitably will at some point), you can then top up your bet with the other half of your stake. Another alternative is to back the longer odds wagers now, looking to hedge your bets throughout the season. For example, Viktor Gyökeres is 6/1 to be top scorer in this season's Premier League. If the Swede scores three in his first three matches, his odds will be drastically slashed. So it makes more sense to back him now. If the odds on a goalscoring rival lengthens after a goalless run, then back that player then, as the goals will return at some point. You can do this across the market, and hope that one selection comes good. Checking the fixture list can also give good insight. Doing this, you can see if a team has a favourable run of fixtures coming up, making that the ideal time to back your team or player (depending on the market). Always bear in mind that players can pick up injuries, and over the course of a long and challenging ten-month season, players will also be in and out of form at various points. How to follow the Premier League action Keeping up to speed with the goings on of the Premier League is crucial for placing informed bets. Some tips for doing this include following respected statisticians, analysts, and just basic stuff, like who is in good form, and is that player an injury doubt for their team's upcoming fixture? However, we believe that data and statistical analysis is the real key to placing successful Premier League wagers. The bookies don't create their odds on a hunch. They are based on probability, taken from data and statistics. If you can take the statistics and use them to find an edge, you can have a successful season betting on the Premier League action. This could be data on corners, shots on goal, tackles, etc. There are hundreds of different markets available on every match, and this is where the opportunities lie, as there will always be a market that we can outsmart the bookies on if we do our homework. About the author Craig Mahood Craig Mahood is an expert in sports betting and online casinos and has worked with the company since 2020. He joined the Betting & Gaming team at The Sun in June 2022 and works closely with the leading bookmakers and online gaming companies to provide content on all areas of sports betting and gaming. He previously worked as a Digital Sports Reporter at the Scottish Sun, covering Scottish football with particular focus on Celtic and Rangers, As well as football, he has covered horse racing, boxing, darts, the Olympics and tennis for the Sun. Responsible gambling A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chase their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry, or depressed Problem gambling – Gamble Aware – Help with gambling addiction If you have a problem with gambling, or you know someone who does, help is out there. Extern Problem Gambling is the leading provider of information, treatment, advice, and support for anyone affected by gambling harms across Ireland.
