Betis just matched the start of their only title season. Then Antony sat down on the grass

By the Data Desk · Published 12 OCT 06:30 · Updated 13 OCT 06:30

Betis have 19 points from their first eight LaLiga games, the same six wins, one draw and one defeat they had in 1934-35, the only season they won the league. Minutes after Sunday's 5-2 win over Osasuna sealed it, Antony sat down on the pitch, and Manuel Pellegrini said he had felt a muscle.

• 19 points from 8 games is Betis's best start to a league season, level with 1934-35 (Mundo Deportivo).
• Pellegrini on Antony: a small muscle problem, “nothing to do with the ankle”; he has medical tests on Monday.
• Betis host Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday and Barcelona in LaLiga on Saturday, both at La Cartuja.

Antony started on the bench against Osasuna because Pellegrini wanted to give his ankle a few more days, and he came on for a little over 20 minutes. At the final whistle he sat on the grass and teammates came over to ask. “It seems he had a small muscle problem, it had nothing to do with the ankle,” Pellegrini said. “Tomorrow we'll see what it is.”

Inside the club the worry is the calendar, not the scan, according to Mundo Deportivo and SPORT. With games on Wednesday and Saturday, even a minor strain could cost him both. Pellegrini's own line after the game was that “the important thing is to win on Wednesday” (El Desmarque).

The numbers behind the start are strong. Mundo Deportivo counts 19 teams that reached 19 points after eight games since wins earned three points: 84% of them finished in the top four, six won the title, and they averaged 80 points. Betis have also matched their best home run of the century, 15 league games unbeaten (10 wins, 5 draws).

There is a catch in that run. The last team to beat Betis at home in LaLiga was Barcelona, 3-5 on 6 December 2025, and Barcelona are the next visitors on Saturday. Antony's test result is due on Monday; we will update this story when Betis publish it.