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| Real Madrid enter the weekend six points clear at the top and are undefeated in 34 matches. |
Over a third of the Spanish La Liga has passed us by, giving us some insight as to how the table could finish at the end of the season. Real Madrid kept up their unbeaten run with a late, late goal from Sergio Ramos to end the first El Clasico of the season in a 1-1 draw. The result benefitted Zinedine Zidane’s men, with Los Blancos’ rivals failing to capitalize on their draw. Atletico Madrid drew blank at home against Espanyol, while Sevilla suffered a shock defeat away to Granada – who picked up their first victory of the campaign. We enter Gameweek 15 just as we did with Gameweek 14 – with Real Madrid leading by six points.
Friday 9 December
13/20 Malaga | Draw 28/10 | Granada 17/4 (21:05)
Malaga kept up their unbeaten run in La Liga, going a fourth game without tasting defeat. The Anchovies scored in the dying minutes of the game to take a share of the spoils at the Mestalla Stadium against Valencia, ending the game at 2-2. Granada picked up their first win of the season, shocking Sevilla to a 2-1 defeat last weekend. However, it will still be tough for the Nazaries who are winless on the road, suffering five defeats from seven games. All five of Malaga’s victories this season have come at their ground, with Juande Ramos’ side tipped for another win.
Saturday 10 December
11/1 Osasuna | 11/2 | Barcelona 2/9 (14:00)
Osasuna are now the division’s worst side with seven points from 14 games. Joaquin Caparros’ side come into their game with Barcelona in the worst possible form. Osasuna have lost five of their last six matches including four consecutive defeats. Surprisingly, Barcelona are winless in three La Liga matches, drawing all of those encounters. Luis Enrique’s side now find themselves six points adrift of leaders, Real Madrid. This is the perfect game for Barca to put their season back on track. Over 1.5 Goals Both Halves is tipped at 22/10.
1/1 Real Sociedad | 5/2 | Valencia 26/10 (17:15)
Real Sociedad ended their five-game undefeated run with a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Deportivo on Monday night. Sociedad will be glad to return to the Anoeta Stadium, where they have conceded just six goals, scoring double that amount. Valencia proved that nothing has changed under Cesare Prandelli, conceding in the dying moments of the game to draw 2-2 against Malaga. That result means that it is now six matches without a win for Valencia. With home advantage, La Real are tipped to return to winning ways.
8/10 Las Palmas | 51/20 | Leganes 34/10 (19:30)
Marko Livaja equalised in the 57th-minute for Las Palmas to end the game at 1-1 against Alaves last weekend. The draw ensured that Las Palmas remained in the top half of the table, losing just four of their 14 matches. Leganes managed to cancel out Villarreal at home, holding the Yellow Submarine to a goalless scoreline. Leganes have struggled since their arrival into the top flight, winning just one of their last eight games. Las Palmas are undefeated at home in the league and are tipped to come out on top.
1/10 Real Madrid | 17/2 | Deportivo 20/1 (21:45)
Real Madrid are looking more and more frightening every time they step foot on the pitch. Zinedine Zidane’s side are six points clear at the top of La Liga, and at the time of writing, are undefeated in 33 games across all competitions. Deportivo ended their six-game winless run with a rampant victory over Real Sociedad on Monday, beating them 5-1. Deportivo will be hoping for a better result against Madrid, unlike last season where they were beaten 5-0 at the Bernabeu. Los Blancos are untouchable at the moment and are tipped to Score In Both Halves at 4/10.
Sunday 11 December
9/10 Eibar | 47/20 | Alaves 32/10 (13:00)
Sergi Enrich’s 70th-minute goal wasn’t enough as Eibar fell to a 3-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao. That being said, Eibar have been poor away from home, winning just once in seven matchups. At home, though, Eibar have been brilliant, winning five of their seven encounters, scoring double the amount of goals that they have conceded. Alaves have been pretty decent in recent weeks, beating Villarreal away from home and then drawing with Las Palmas last time out. However, I fancy the home side here, and at 9/10, they’re definitely well worth a punt.
7/4 Celta Vigo | 47/20 | Sevilla 15/10 (17:15)
Celta Vigo shared the spoils in their six-goal thriller against Real Betis last time out, drawing the match 3-3. Iago Aspas scored twice to take his tally to nine in the league – level with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Sevilla disappointed me last time out, losing 2-1 away to Granada. On their travels, Sevilla haven’t been at their very best. There’s been some high-scoring encounters already at Balaidos with a total of 27 goals finding the back of the net in just seven games. At 6/10, Both Teams to Score seems like the best bet to take.
15/20 Espanyol | 51/20 | Sporting Gijon 39/10 (19:30)
Espanyol come into this game in some fine form, going eight games undefeated in La Liga. Quique Sánchez Flores’ side come off an emphatic goalless draw against title-chasing Atletico Madrid. That’s now five clean sheets in a row for Espanyol and seven from their last eight. Sporting Gijon ended their run of three straight losses with a 3-1 win over Osasuna last weekend. That was Gijon’s first win in 11 La Liga games. Espanyol have been brilliant in recent weeks and are tough to break down. Back the home win and include in all multiples.
2/1 Real Betis | 9/4 | Athletic Bilbao 14/10 (21:45)
Real Betis failed to hold on to their 3-2 lead as Celta Vigo’s Facundo Roncaglia scored in the 85th-minute to split the spoils in a six-goal thriller. The game didn’t end too well for Betis, with Petros being shown a second yellow in the dying stages of the match. Athletic Bilbao claimed a hard-earned 3-1 win over Eibar last weekend to move three places higher into fifth position. Bilbao have blown hot and cold this season, but have showed no signs of lacking goals. It may not be another six-goal thriller, but I’m expecting goals at the Estadio Benito Villamarin. Both Teams to Score is tipped at 8/10.
Monday 12 December
32/10 Villarreal | 47/20 | Atletico Madrid 9/10 (21:45)
The tie of the round has to wait until Monday night as Villarreal host Atletico Madrid in what promises to be a humdinger. Villarreal are winless in three league matches, while Atletico have also endured a slight dip in form. Just two points separate these sides, which means a win for the Yellow Submarine could see them leapfrog Atleti in the table. Funny enough, both teams were shocked to goalless scorelines last weekend. The hosts have conceded just five goals on their turf and I’m expecting another low-scoring encounter. This is likely to be a tight affair with Under 2.5 Goals tipped at 11/20.
QUAD @ 9/1
Malaga Win 13/20
Las Palmas Win 8/10
Eibar Win 9/10
Espanyol Win 15/20
Written by Jesse Nagel
