The Spanish La Liga is taking shape with Barcelona heading the table, Atletico two points behind in third and Real Madrid slowly making their way up the table. Gameweek 6 saw Neymar strike a hat-trick as Barcelona continued their bright start to the season, while Real and Atletico Madrid both won.
Getafe 19/20 draw 22/10 Cordoba 28/10
Getafe and newly promoted Cordoba open the weekend’s fixtures on Friday night. Getafe are coming off their second win of the season after beating Malaga 1-0 at home. They have lost four of their six matches but have won twice at home from three, losing only to Valencia. Cordoba are the only team in the league who are yet to win a match, drawing three and losing three. Cordoba have been weak away, conceding six goals and scoring just one, earning only a point. Getafe are a decent team at home and should build on their win against Malaga with another victory against Cordoba.
Valencia 17/10 draw 22/10 Atletico Madrid 15/10
The highlight of this weekends fixtures sees champions Atletico Madrid travel to Valencia who are flying high in second place. Valencia have been impeccable this season, winning four matches and drawing twice. They have won all three home fixtures, scoring three goals in each match while only dropping points by drawing away to Sevilla and Real Sociedad. Atletico trail Valencia by only goal difference also winning four matches and drawing twice. Valencia have conceded only one goal at home and this could be a tight affair. The draw is on the cards.
Rayo Vallecano 78/10 draw 47/10 Barcelona 1/4
League leaders Barcelona travel to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday evening. Vallecano have climbed up to 11th place after a 2-0 away victory at Levante. That was a vital win as they now prepare to face a Barcelona team who are in red hot form. Neymar hit a hat-trick and Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona enjoyed a resounding 6-0 victory over Granada to continue to set the pace at the top of La Liga. Barcelona have scored 17 goals and conceded none, claiming 16 points from six matches. Barca have beaten Vallecano in seven consecutive matches, scoring 33 goals and conceding just once. That’s an average of 4.7 goals per game. The away win is a banker bet.
Eibar 15/20 draw 23/10 Levante 38/10
Segunda champions Eibar are proving their worth in the top tier and are favourites at home to struggling Levante. After managing a 2-0 victory at Elche, Eibar have gone on to secure two good points with a home draw against Villarreal and an away draw last weekend at Athletic Bilbao. Levate are coming off a 2-0 defeat at home to Rayo Vallecano. Levante have scored only one goal from their six matches, conceding 12. They have lost 4 matches, winning just once and Eibar’s home advantage should give them the edge to claim the victory.
Malaga 8/10 draw 23/10 Granada 7/2
Malaga have failed to record a win since their opening day 1-0 victory over Atheltic Bilbao. However, they have remained solid at home having not conceded yet but have only scored one goal from those three games. They host a Granada side who are coming off a 6-0 thrashing from Barcelona and before that lost 1-0 at home to Levante. Malaga won this fixture 4-1 last season. Back them to get back to winning ways.
Almeria 11/10 draw 22/10 Elche 24/10
Two of last season’s relegation survivors will meet with only one having shown some improvement thus far in the league. Almeria lie 9th while Elche are 18th having conceded the second most goals (14) in the league so far. Almeria scored a stoppage time goal to win 1-0 at Deportivo last weekend while Elche are coming off a 1-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo. Almeria are yet to win at home, drawing twice and losing 1-0 to champions Atletico Madrid. Back Almeria to pick up their first home win.
Sevilla 4/10 draw 34/10 Deportivo 66/10
Sevilla are looking good, lying in fourth spot with four wins from six matches, suffering just one loss. They will host an out of form Deportivo side who have lost three in a row, including an 8-2 thrashing from Real Madrid. After drawing 1-1 in their first home match against Valencia, Sevilla went on to beat Granada and Real Sociedad in their next two home matches. The last time these teams met, in the 2012/13 season, Sevilla pulled the double over Deportivo in both league meetings. Sevilla should be backed to record their third straight home win.
Celta Vigo 14/10 draw 22/10 Villarreal 18/10
Not much separates these two sides who lie sixth and seventh respectively. Celta Vigo are unbeaten at home while Villarreal are unbeaten away. Villarreal have conceded just one goal in their three travels. They drew this match 0-0 last season with Villareal winning their second round home fixture. The draw is tipped.
Espanyol 13/10 draw 21/10 Real Sociedad 19/10
Espanyol and Real Sociedad have been performing under par so far. Espanyol earned their first victory last week Thursday before going on to earn a point at Cordoba. Real Sociedad have also won just once this season and that astonishingly came against Spanish giants Real Madrid in what was a dramatic come from behind 4-2 victory. Real Sociedad pulled the double over Espanyol last season and are tipped to record the away win at a valuable 19/10.
Real Madrid 1/4 draw 48/10 Athletic Bilbao 89/10
Real Madrid earned their third consecutive victory with a 2-0 away win over Villarreal as they make their way up the table after an inconsistent start to the season. Cristiano Ronaldo found the net for his sixth straight game in the win with Luka Modric also finding the back of the net with a long-range scorcher. Madrid will host Athletic Bilbao on Sunday who have lost four times, winning and drawing just once. Bilbao have lost all three of their away matches and look to come away with no points at the Bernabeu as they have done for the past few seasons. The home win is a banker bet.
Written by Wayde Dorkin
Soccer Pro’s La Liga Picks
Getafe WIN 19/20
Valencia DRAW 22/10
Barcelona WIN 1/4
Eibar WIN 15/20
Malaga WIN 8/10
Almeria WIN 11/10
Sevilla WIN 4/10
Celta Vigo DRAW22/10
Sociedad WIN 19/10
Real Madrid WIN 1/4