Atletico Madrid salvaged a dramatic 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in the Madrid derby on Sunday. The match was briefly halted in the second half due to crowd disturbances, which only served to rev up the final stanza. Despite a significant summer spending spree, it was veteran Angel Correa who stepped up to rescue Atleti, scoring a stoppage-time equalizer. With the spoils being shared, both Madrid teams retained their undefeated status in the league. They are the only two topflight outfits to do so, after Barcelona suffered a surprising loss to Osasuna. That being said, the Blaugrana currently leads the league and will look to bounce back this weekend. In this week’s Spanish La Liga preview, we’ll delve into their clash with Alaves and more!
Saturday 5 October
22/10 Espanyol | Draw 33/20 | Mallorca 31/20 (14:00)
Mallorca will be bidding to continue their impressive start to the 2024/25 La Liga campaign when they make the trip to RCDE Stadium this weekend to tackle Espanyol. The visitors have picked up 14 points from their first eight matches of the season to sit in sixth spot in the table.
I think a win here for Mallorca and over 2.5 goals at 44/10 is the way to go.
5/4 Getafe | Draw 16/10 | Osasuna 28/10 (16:15)
Vicente Moreno’s Osasuna outfit stole the La Liga headlines last weekend as his team ran riot at El Sadar. Ahead of Barca’s visit, the Catalonian outfit enjoyed a perfect La Liga record which meant that a positive result for Osasuna would have made even the most passionate of supporters weary. That said, their 4-2 dismantling of Flick’s men has certainly caught the attention.
Back the away side on the win and over 2.5 goals at 8/1.
21/10 Valladolid | Draw 17/10 | Rayo Vallecano 15/10 (18:30)
After a disappointing end to August, Inigo Perez’s team stabilized during September to go undefeated. They beat Osasuna 3-1 after the international break and followed that up with three draws against Atletico Madrid, Girona and Leganes.
Back Rayo Vallecano on the win and over 2.5 goals at 4/1.
22/10 Las Palmas | Draw 21/10 | Celta Vigo 5/4 (18:30)
Goals have not been a problem this season for Celta Vigo, finding the back of the net on 15 occasions, with only Barcelona (25), Real Madrid (17) and Villarreal (17) managing more. I expect one way traffic against a Las Palmas side who currently sit bottom of the log.
Back Celta Vigo on the win and over 2.5 goals at 24/10.
1/4 Real Madrid | Draw 5/1 | Villarreal 17/2 (21:00)
Villarreal have been largely impressive this season, with their only defeat coming at home to Barcelona, suffering a 5-1 loss to the division leaders last month. Barring that, The Yellow Submarine have found consistency upfront and have scored in each of their eight league outings hitherto.
Back the home side on the win and BTTS (yes) at 13/10.
Sunday 6 October
13/10 Girona | Draw 2/1 | Athletic Club 43/20 (14:00)
Athletic made an underwhelming start to the 2024/25 La Liga campaign, but they have since posted three straight league wins over Las Palmas, Leganes and Celta Vigo and a draw against Sevilla to climb up the table. The Lions have collected 14 points from eight matches to sit in fifth position, just one point behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
Back the away side on the win and over 2.5 goals at 42/10.
44/10 Alaves | Draw 28/10 | Barcelona 6/10 (16:15)
Barcelona made a stunning start to their 2024-25 La Liga campaign, posting seven straight wins, but their 100% record came to an end on Saturday evening, as they suffered a 4-2 defeat to Osasuna. There is pressure on Barcelona to bounce back, but a severe injury crisis means that the team will once again be missing a number of key players.
I expect the away side to win this one, with over 2.5 goals at 13/10.
31/20 Sevilla | Draw 19/10 | Real Betis 19/10 (18:30)
Last season’s 14th-place finish was Sevilla’s worst campaign in Spain’s top flight since being relegated in 2000. Los Nervionenses have also found it difficult to get going in the early stages of 2024-25, boasting a record of two wins, three draws and three defeats to collect eight points, which has left them in the bottom half.
With both sides going for it, I think they cancel each other out. Back a goalless draw at 8/1.
47/20 Real Sociedad | Draw 18/10| Atletico Madrid 13/10 (21:00)
Early season hiccups appear to be a thing of the past for Real Sociedad. Whilst the Basque outfit picked up five points from their opening seven matches of the campaign, their run out at the Anoeta last week saw them turn on the style as they dispatched Valencia 3 nil. Summer singing Oskarrson helped himself to a brace in that one and I think he follows that up in this clash.
Back the home side on the double chance here and BTTS (yes) at 2/1.
Written by Deshaj Parthab
@Desh_wan