Antony and Ezzalzouli Start as Betis Meet Feyenoord in Champions League Opener

Real Betis and Feyenoord have confirmed their lineups for their Champions League meeting at the Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla, and both managers have landed on the same structure: a 4-3-3, mirrored wide forwards, and no attempt to hide the attacking intent.

Real Betis start Antony and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli as the two wide forwards in their 4-3-3, with Fran García at left-back. That is a deliberate overload on the flanks. Antony holds the right touchline and looks to isolate his full-back one-on-one; Ezzalzouli attacks the left with direct running and a preference for cutting inside onto his stronger foot. Fran García's inclusion points to a Betis team that expects to spend long spells in Feyenoord's half, with the full-back pushing high to support Ezzalzouli rather than sitting in a back four.

The midfield three is built to feed those wide runners. Betis have not named a destroyer-first trio; the shape reads as a possession-oriented 4-3-3 that will circulate the ball through the middle and then release the wide forwards into the channels. Against a Feyenoord side that also lines up 4-3-3, the game becomes a question of which wide pair wins their duels and which midfield three can turn possession into entries into the box.

Feyenoord answer with the same 4-3-3, and Anis Hadj Moussa is the name that stands out in the front line. The winger has been the visitors' most direct attacking outlet, and starting him in a mirrored shape means Feyenoord are not coming to Seville to sit deep. Charles Vanhoutte anchors the midfield three, giving Feyenoord a ball-winner in the middle to disrupt Betis's circulation and spring counters into the wide areas.

The mirror matters. When both teams play 4-3-3, the wide forwards are matched against opposing full-backs and the midfield threes are matched almost man-for-man. Feyenoord's route to control runs through Vanhoutte winning second balls and Hadj Moussa attacking the space behind Fran García when the Betis left-back pushes forward. Betis's route runs through Antony and Ezzalzouli pinning Feyenoord's full-backs and forcing the Dutch midfield to defend in wide areas.

Both managers have chosen the same structure, so the match will be decided by execution in the wide channels and by which midfield three imposes its rhythm. Betis have stacked their attack with Antony and Ezzalzouli, two players who want the ball at their feet in one-on-one situations. Feyenoord have responded with Hadj Moussa, a runner who prefers space in behind, and Vanhoutte, a midfielder whose job is to win the ball back before Betis can build.

The absence of a clear favourite in the shapes means the first goal will likely come from a wide overload or a turnover in midfield. Betis will look to Fran García to overlap Ezzalzouli and create a two-on-one against Feyenoord's right-back. Feyenoord will look to Vanhoutte to intercept and release Hadj Moussa into the space Fran García leaves. Both plans are live from kick-off, and both depend on the same 4-3-3 mechanics.

Kick-off at La Cartuja will show which wide pair settles first. Betis have the home crowd and the more possession-oriented midfield; Feyenoord have the counter-attacking runner and the ball-winner. With the shapes identical, the match is a straight contest of wide duels and midfield control.