The El Clasico seems to be happening at just the right time
as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi look to be in red hot form. Ronaldo netted his 14th and 15th goals
to set a record scoring start in a Spanish league season, while Messi scored to
move one goal from the competition’s all-time scorer. Messi is now poised to
equal Telmo Zarra’s milestone of 251 goals that has stood since 1955 when Barca
travel to face Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Barca lead the La Liga
standings, four points ahead of third place Real Madrid while Sevilla occupy
second spot with a point more than Los Blancos.
Celta Vigo 9/20 draw
33/10 Levante 64/10
Celta Vigo came back from a goal down to salvage a 1-1 away
to Athletic Bilbao to build on their impressive run that has seen them lose
just one match from eight this season.
They will be confident of picking up their third home win of the season
when they host second from bottom Levante on Friday night. Levante have just
one win this season and have scored the joint least amount of goals while
conceding the most, 20. They are coming off a 5-0 humiliation from Real
Madrid. Celta Vigo look a certainty.
Almeria 23/10 draw
23/10 Athletic Bilbao 12/10
Almeria will feel that they host Athletic Bilbao at the
right time as last season’s fourth place finishers occupy 16th spot
after some horrendous away from. Bilbao have lost all four travels, scoring one
goal and conceding 10. They have mustered up just one win at home and are
coming off a 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo. However, Almeria are winless at home
with three draws and a loss. The draw
looks the most likely result.
Real Madrid 27/20
draw 24/10 Barcelona 19/10
Please see featured game.
Valencia 7/20 draw
38/10 Elche 76/10
Valencia are coming off their first loss of the season,
going down 3-0 at Deportivo. They will return to the Mestalla on Saturday night
where they have been impeccable winning all four encounters, scoring 12 goals
and conceding just two. Elche find
themselves in the relegation zone after losing five of their eight league
encounters. Elche have conceded an
average of three goals in every away match this season and Valencia should
manage the home win as they did here last season.
Cordoba 9/4 draw 9/4
Real Sociedad 5/4
Cordoba remain the only team without a win this season
having accumulated only four draws from eight games. Real Sociedad were stunned
by two late goals as they slumped to their fifth defeat losing 2-1 on Monday
night and have only managed one victory thus far. Sociedad have lost three of
their four travels, drawing once. Cordoba have managed two draws at home
against the likes of Celta Vigo and Espanyol. Sociedad lost 2-0 to Celta Vigo
in their last away match. Cordoba are
tipped to pick up their first victory against their fellow relegation
contenders.
Eibar 11/10 draw
21/10 Granada 26/10
Newly promoted Eibar suffered only their first loss from
five matches when they lost 3-0 to Barcelona at Camp Nou last weekend. The
minnows will host a Granada side who have lost four consecutive matches and are
coming off a 1-0 loss at home to Vallecano. They have scored just three goals
on the road whilst conceding nine in their four travels. Back Eibar for the home win.
Malaga 17/20 draw 26/10
Rayo Vallecano 33/10
Malaga, the only team who have taken points off Barcelona
this season, will host an in-form Vallecano side who have picked up three wins
from their last four matches. Malaga are unbeaten at home and coming off two
consecutive wins, beating Cordoba 2-1 away from home last weekend. Vallecano
are coming off a good 1-0 win away to Granada but will need a much improved
performance to get a win here. Malaga
won this fixture 5-0 last season and should claim the three points here again.
Espanyol 15/20 draw
26/10 Deportivo 4/1
Espanyol’s four match unbeaten run came to an end last
weekend when they travelled to play champions Atletico Madrid. They went down
2-0 and will be eager to get back to winning ways when they host the newly
promoted Deportivo. Deportivo managed their second win of the season when they
surprised Valencia with a 3-0 home victory. They have lost three of their four travels thus far and Espanyol look a
solid bet at 15/20.
Sevilla 11/10 draw
24/10 Villarreal 5/2
Sevilla moved into second place on the log with their sixth
win from eight matches when they beat Elche 2-0 away from home on Sunday. They
face a tough prospect this weekend against a Villarreal side who have managed
to stay unbeaten in their four travels, winning twice. Sevilla have done well
at home with three wins and draw against Valencia. Villarreal managed a draw here last season and they are tipped to hold
Sevilla to another home draw.
Getafe 52/10 draw
28/10 Atletico Madrid 6/10
Getafe scored two late goals to earn a 2-1 away victory over
Real Sociedad on Monday night. Getafe find themselves in good form with two
wins and a draw from their last three matches. However, they still have a
negative six goal difference due to conceding 12 goals while scoring only six. Champions
Atletico Madrid redeemed themselves last weekend after losing at Valencia by
beating Espanyol 2-0 at home. They have not been convincing on the road winning
twice, drawing once and losing once. However, Atletico are unbeaten against
Getafe since 2011 and beat their opponents 7-0 at home last season and 2-0 in
this fixture. The away win looks a
decent bet at 6/10.
Written by Wayde Dorkin
Soccer Pro’s La Liga Picks
Celta Vigo WIN 9/20
Almeria DRAW 23/10
Barcelona WIN 19/10
Valencia WIN7/20
Cordoba WIN 9/4
Eibar WIN 11/10
Malaga WIN 17/20
Espanyol WIN 7/10
Sevilla DRAW 24/10
Atletico Madrid WIN 6/10