Barcelona slumped to a second consecutive defeat and Real Madrid made no mistakes in their 4-0 rout of Granada to move top of the table. Champions Atletico Madrid also leapfrogged Barca by moving into third place while Valencia occupy second spot with same amount of points as Atletico.
Cordoba 13/10 draw 21/10 Deportivo 9/4
Two promoted sides will kick-off this weekend’s La Liga fixtures on Friday night. Both sides have failed to cope in the top tier thus far. Cordoba sit bottom of the log with just five points and not a single victory in their 10 matches. Deportivo lie only three points above Cordoba having lost six of their 10 matches but managing two victories. Deportivo finished eight points above Cordoba last season and beat them 1-0 in this away fixture. Cordoba’s home record was poor last season and they have failed to make home advantage count this season also. Deportivo have already beaten last season’s Segunda champions Eibar away from home and are tipped for another win against a fellow newly promoted side.
Almeria 15/1 draw 6/1 Barcelona 1/6
Barcelona will look to get back to winning ways when they host minnows Almeria. Almeria find themselves in dismal form having lost their last three matches. They are coming off a 2-1 loss at struggling Levante. Barcelona suffered their second consecutive league loss last weekend, going down 1-0 at home to Celta Vigo. Just as in his debut defeat against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, Suarez was left frustrated as Barca hit the woodwork four times and were denied on several more occasions by fine saves from Celta goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez. These sides have met six times since the 2010/11 season with Barcelona winning all six encounters scoring 25 goals and conceding just two goals. Barcelona are tipped for the halftime win at 5/10.
Getafe 1/1 draw 9/4 Elche 28/10
Getafe and Elche are coming off 2-1 victories this past weekend. Getafe did well to edge Deportivo 2-1 away from home while Elche earned a deserved home win over Espanyol which moved them from the bottom of the table to 17th place. These sides have met 11 times and have amazingly drawn 1-1 in seven of those meetings. Both sides have not been free scoring with Getafe scoring only eight goals this season and Elche 10 goals in 10 matches. The Under 2.5 Goals bet looks a good one and is available at 5/10. If you looking for value follow the pattern and back the 1-1 draw at 11/2.
Real Madrid 1/12 draw 95/10 Rayo Vallecano 23/10
Real Madrid turned up the heat on their La Liga title rivals with James Rodriguez scoring a brace, including a stunning volley, in a 4-0 win at Granada. Cristiano Ronaldo also added to his impressive league tally by scoring his 17th goal of the season while Karim Benzema netted for the fourth time in three matches. Los Blancos are now top of the table with 24 points from 10 matches, but more impressively have banged in 37 goals. Vallecano dropped to the bottom half of the table on Monday night after losing 3-2 at home to La Liga debutants Eibar. There is no value in it for the league leaders. Vallecano have some good attacking players and Madrid’s defence – especially with the ailing Iker Casillas in the sticks – have to slip up now and then. The Both Teams To Score Market is offering 19/20 for both sides to hit the back of the net.
Malaga 6/10 draw 27/10 Eibar 49/10
Malaga continued their impressive form last weekend by beating Real Sociedad 1-0 on the road to earn their fourth consecutive victory. Eibar striker Mikel Arruabarrena’s stunning volley was the difference as the Segunda champions edged a five-goal thriller 3-2 away to Rayo Vallecano on Monday night. The Eibar talisman struck twice in the victory – only their second away win from home this season – as they showed fight to come back and rescue all three points. Malaga are unbeaten at home this season with three wins and two draws. However, Eibar are coming off an away win and have only lost to Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in their five travels. Eibar are tipped to hold Malaga to a draw.
Celta Vigo 11/20 draw 3/1 Granada 51/10
Celta Vigo striker Joaquin Larrivey scored his seventh goal of the season which proved to be the only goal of the encounter as Celta Vigo shocked their former coach’s team with a 1-0 victory at Camp Nou. Their goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez was sensational between the sticks, making nine saves during the match. They will host a Granada side who were helpless in their 4-0 thumping at the hands of Real Madrid. Before their win over Barcelona, Celta Vigo whipped Levante 3-0 at home. They look a sure bet for another home win.
Sevilla 1/4 draw 9/2 Levante 10/1
Sevilla spoilt a chance to move top of the standings when they went down 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao last weekend. They will return to their home ground this weekend where they have been clinical. Levante edged a 2-1 home win against Almeria to earn a much needed three points as they look to get themselves out of the danger zone. Sevilla are unbeaten at home with four wins and one draw coming against Valencia. They should easily dispatch of their struggling visitors.
Espanyol 19/10 draw 9/4 Villarreal 29/20
Both these sides slipped to their fourth defeat of the season this past weekend. Espanyol were simply not good enough to overcome Elche as they went down 2-1, claiming a penalty in the dying minutes of the match. Villarreal played host to a dangerous Valencia team who made no mistake in snatching all three points in a 3-1 win. Villarreal won both meetings between the sides last season but don’t look good enough this season to do that. Take the draw.
Valencia 7/10 draw 28/10 Athletic Bilbao 36/10
Valencia continue to impress this season after moving into second spot with a 3-1 away win over Villarreal. They are equal on goals with Barcelona having scored 23 – which is the second highest tally behind league leaders Real Madrid. Athletic Bilbao struck an early goal and held on for a 1-0 home win over Sevilla to claim a morale boosting victory. Valencia have been emphatic at home with five wins, averaging three goals a game and have conceded just three times. Bilbao have been almost the opposite in their away matches, losing four of their five travels, scoring just two goals and conceding 10. The home win is tipped.
Real Sociedad 33/10 draw 5/2 Atletico Madrid 17/20
Atletico Madrid are on course to defend their La Liga title even after losing several key players during the offseason. Real Sociedad on the other hand have failed to cope with the loss of star player Antoine Griezmann, who joined Atletico Madrid. Sociedad lie second from bottom after losing 1-0 at home to Malaga last weekend. They have won just one match this season, losing six of their 10. Atletico Madrid lie just one point off league leaders Real Madrid. They earned their seventh win of the season by beating Cordoba 4-2 at home last weekend. Atletico have dominated recent head-to-heads with Sociedad, beating them in six of the last eight encounters and pulling the double over them last season. Atletico look good value for the win.
Written by Wayde Dorkin
Soccer Pro’s La Liga Picks
Deportivo WIN9/4
Barcelona HT WIN 5/10
Getafe Under 2.5 Goals 5/10
Real Madrid BTTS 19/20
Malaga DRAW 27/10
Celta Vigo WIN 11/20
Sevilla WIN 1/4
Espanyol DRAW 9/4
Valencia WIN 7/10
Atletico WIN 17/20