Madrid

Real Betis coach Joan Ferrer 'Rubi' admits he is skeptical whether or not the absence of fans in the stands will help his side when they kick off the return to action in LaLiga on Thursday.

Betis cross town to play their bitter rivals Sevilla in the Seville derby, but the game that is arguably the most passionate in Spain will be played in front of empty stands in Sevilla's Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, reports Xinhua news agency.

The experience of the first rounds of matches played in Germany in recent weeks shows that games played in empty grounds appears to have taken away much home advantage with visiting teams winning around half of the games played since the return to action.

However, speaking on TV network 'Vamos' Rubi said he wasn't sure the absence of Sevilla fans would help Betis.

"I'd love to think it will help in the derby, but we'll see. The fact is that supporters are very important," he commented.

"When coaches say that we need our fans to support us, we say it because we know it's true as they can help to lift you in difficult moments and they can push you forward," said the Betis coach, looking at the example of Germany.

"Only 21 per cent of the games there have ended in home wins and that is an obvious tendency, but in a game, the most important thing is still who plays the best and that depends on who has done the best preparation," concluded Rubi.

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