Atletico Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season when they succumb to a 2-0 loss against rivals Real Madrid. Real Sociedad returned to the top of the table despite playing their third consecutive draw. Barcelona are still nowhere near top spot as they lie eighth on the log. Can Real Madrid top the log before Christmas break, or will Sociedad hold on?
Friday 18 December
Athletic Bilbao 1/1
Draw 21/10
Huesca 31/10
(22:00)
Luck seems to have run out for Athletic Bilbao, as they are currently struggling to get into the top half of the table. They had a great start to their campaign but since then have failed to recreate that magic. However, they are at home this Friday, and finally have a comparatively low-profile opponent after several gameweeks. Last week Huesca finally won a La Liga game when beating Alaves 1-0. To be honest, Huesca have been decent and they’ve drawn a lot of games which they could’ve won. This is a tough game, so I suggest backing Both Teams to Score at 23/20.
Saturday 19 December
Atletico Madrid 2/11
Draw 5/1
Elche 20/1
(15:00)
Jan Oblak conceded an unlucky own goal as Atletico Madrid fell to a first La Liga defeat of the season to rivals Real Madrid. The defeat sees Real Sociedad leapfrog Diego Simeone’s men at the top of the table. Atletico are now second on the table, tied on 26 points with log leaders Sociedad. Real Madrid are now three points behind Atleti which means this is a must-win game. Atletico have the best home record, winning five of their six matches – scoring 15 goals and just conceding just once. Home to Win Both Halves at 14/10.
Barcelona 1/4
Draw 52/10
Valencia 17/2
(17:15)
Barcelona are nowhere near their best this season and are playing like an average team and struggling against bottom half teams. Ronald Koeman insisted Barcelona are still in the La Liga title hunt, but to me, I really think it will be impossible for them to win unless big changes happen at the club. Valencia have lost just once in their last seven La Liga matches and their performance against Real Madrid, when they won 4-1, will be used as motivation ahead of this encounter. Barcelona cannot be trusted against anyone at the moment, so, I’ll back Both Teams to Score at 7/10.
Osasuna 11/4
Draw 23/10
Villarreal 21/20
(19:30)
Osasuna are rock bottom in the league this season with their troubling form. Winless in the last six matches of which five were defeats and they’re also leaking a lot of goals. Villarreal started the season very well but they have been held back by too many draws recently. The Yellow Submarine have drawn each of their last four matches and that has seen them move out of the top four. This is a great opportunity for them to return to winning ways as they are facing the worst team in the division. Back the visitors to win this one.
Levante 26/10
Draw 24/10
Real Sociedad 21/20
(19:30)
It’s a difficult game after another for Levante. Last week they went toe-to-toe with Barcelona and they gave them a good fight. Now they welcome log leaders Real Sociedad, which for me will even be harder than last week’s game if we go by current form. Sociedad retuned to the top after playing their third consecutive draw. The visitors are also winless in six matches across all competition with all six matches ending in a share of the spoils. Levante have also drawn five of their last seven matches. As the form suggests, back these sides to cancel each other out.
Sevilla 11/20
Draw 28/10
Real Valladolid 57/10
(22:00)
In-form Sevilla welcome Real Valladolid to the Estadio Sanchez to wrap up Saturday fixtures. The hosts have won four of their last five matches and only lost against Real Madrid. Sevilla have won seven of their last nine matches and the only two defeats were against Chelsea and Madrid. The Europa champions are seven points away from the top and have two games in hand which means we can fully say they are currently in the title race and should be taken seriously. Back the hosts to win here.
Sunday 20 December
Celta Vigo 8/10
Draw 51/20
Deportivo Alaves 34/10
(15:00)
Celta Vigo caused major upsets in back-to-back weekends after beating Granada 3-1 and last week, beating Athletic Bilbao 2-0. Alaves suffered their first defeat in six matches when losing 1-0 to Huesca last time out. The betting suggests that this will be one-way traffic, but I think it will be harder than it looks. I’ve been a fan of Alaves and because of the price, I will take the 34/10, I think it’s worth a chance.
Granada 33/20
Draw 9/4
Real Betis 33/20
(17:15)
Granada finally returned to winning ways after they beat Elche last time out and they will look to make it back-to-back wins to be in a good position before heading into the Christmas break. Real Betis have been blowing hot and cold this season. Last weekend was their first draw of the campaign. Both teams have been attacking, scoring goals while also leaking goals at the back. Back Both Teams to Score at 15/20.
Cadiz 9/4
Draw 18/10
Getafe 31/20
(19:30)
Cadiz have been the better performer from all the newly promoted teams this term. The hosts have shown a mixed form in the campaign, with five wins and four losses in their 12 attempts. They are surprisingly sixth on the log standings and have beaten Barcelona and Real Madrid. Getafe have been hit hard by COVID-19. They were flying before lockdown but since we’ve returned, they’ve been a shadow of themselves. The visitors are 15th on the standings with just three wins, four draws and five defeats. Back Cadiz to win this one.
Eibar 11/2
Draw 34/10
Real Madrid 5/10
(22:00)
Real Madrid had a very good week after topping their UEFA Champions League group and were comfortable winners against Atletico Madrid. The champions are now third on the standings, three points behind log leaders Real Sociedad and have a game in hand. Zinedine Zidane’s men are slowly picking up and creeping closer to where they would like to be before we head into the Christmas break. Back Madrid to win here.
DOUBLE @ 4/1
Athletic Bilbao vs Huesca BTTS 23/20
Atletico Madrid Win Both Halves 14/10
Written by Banele Pikwa