Our footy writer gives an in-depth analysis of week two of the 2016/17 Spanish La Liga.
Gameweek 1 of the Spanish La Liga brought us dazzling football with 40 goals scored, 10 of them coming from one match in Sevilla’s thrilling 6-4 win over Espanyol. The newly-promoted clubs Osasuna, Leganes and Alaves all showed they cannot be underestimated, the latter holding title-chasing Atletico Madrid to a 1-1 draw at the Vicente Calderon. Diego Simeone’s side will look to bounce back strongly away to Leganes on Saturday, another newcomer.
Reigning champions Barcelona were at their majestic best against Real Betis with Luis Suarez netting a hat-trick in a 6-2 win at the Camp Nou. They’ll visit Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, who suffered a 2-1 defeat to last season’s 17th-placed Sporting Gijon. Real Madrid were comfortable winners against Real Sociedad thanks to a brace from Gareth Bale and chip from Marco Asensio. Zinedine Zidane’s men will welcome Celta Vigo to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. There are other exciting matchups in store and of course lots of money to made. Here we go!
Friday 26 August
Real Betis 14/10 | Draw 43/20 | Deportivo La Coruna 2/1
Real Betis were thumped 6-2 by reigning champions Barcelona last weekend. Gus Poyet will have his work cut out for him, but he would’ve been delighted with Ruben Castro’s performance. Castro struck a brace against the Catalans and Poyet will be hoping he can add to his tally against Deportivo.
Gaizka Garitano’s side sealed a 2-1 comeback victory against Eibar at the Estadio Riazor last week Friday. Depor have beaten Betis just once in their previous eight meetings, suffering four defeats. With home advantage, back Real Betis to edge their opponents at 14/10.
Espanyol 14/10 | Draw 21/10 | Malaga 43/20
Espanyol suffered a thrilling 6-4 defeat away to Sevilla last weekend. While Quique Sanchez Flores will have concerns with his side’s defence, he would have been pleased to witness how deadly his side are going forward. Periquitos will be hoping to clinch their first win on Friday when they welcome Malaga to the RCDE Stadium.
Juande Ramos’ men had to settle for a 1-1 draw against newly-promoted Osasuna last Friday as an 84th-minute equalizer from Fran Merida denied his side three points. Espanyol are unbeaten in their last eight meetings with Malaga, winning four times. I’m going for the home win at 14/10.
Saturday 27 August
Osasuna 18/10 | Draw 21/10 | Real Sociedad 33/20
Newly-promoted Osasuna earned a commendable 1-1 draw away to Malaga last Friday thanks to a late goal from Fran Merida. Los Rojillos will be looking to make home advantage count when they meet Real Sociedad on Saturday.
Eusebio Sacristan’s side will be looking to recover from their 3-0 home defeat to Real Madrid. These sides have drawn four of their last six meetings and are tipped to cancel each other out.
Eibar 33/20 | Draw 43/20 | Valencia 7/4
Eibar will be aiming to get their first win in La Liga after suffering a 2-1 defeat at Deportivo last Friday. Mendilibar’s side will fancy their chances against Valencia after Pako Ayestaran’s team were beaten 4-2 at home to Las Palmas on Monday night. Santi Mina was the star performer for Los Che, scoring a brace in that game.
Eibar don’t have a good record against Valencia, losing three of their last four meetings. However, Valencia have lost the likes of Andre Gomes, Sofiane Feghouli, Pablo Piatti, Alvaro Negredo and Denis Cheryshev. I’m going for a draw at 43/20.
Real Madrid 2/9 | Draw 57/10 | Celta Vigo 10/1
Real Madrid got their campaign off to a strong start as they beat Real Sociedad 3-0, courtesy of a brace from Gareth Bale. Los Blancos, who are in search of a first La Liga title since 2012, will look to put Celta Vigo to the sword on Saturday.
Zinedine Zidane’s side won 16 from their 19 games played at the Santiago Bernabeu last season. The last time they met Celta, they were 7-1 winners and that was their fourth straight win against Eduardo Berizzo’s side. Celta suffered a 1-0 defeat to newcomers Leganes on Monday and Los Blancos should win comfortably. Take Real Madrid to Win By Three Or More Goals at 13/10.
Leganes 5/1 | Draw 51/20 | Atletico Madrid 13/20
Newly-promoted Leganes claimed a stunning 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo thanks to a goal from Victor Diaz. Coach Asier Garitano knows his side face a daunting test against Atletico Madrid on Saturday, but they’ll be hopeful of causing another upset.
After dropping two points against newcomers Alaves, Diego Simeone will be hoping for a convincing performance from his players as they look to claim maximum points. Simeone has world class players at his disposal such as Antoine Griezmann, Kevin Gameiro, Nico Gaitan and Yannick Carrasco. Los Colchoneros are tipped to bounce back strong at 13/20. Get on.
Sunday 28 August
Las Palmas 21/20 | Draw 9/4 | Granada 28/10
Las Palmas snatched a shock 4-2 win over Valencia at the Mestalla on Monday thanks to a brace from Marko Livaja and a goal apiece from Jonathan Viera and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Their opponents, Granada, earned a 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal thanks to Ezequiel Ponce’s equalizer. Paco Jemez would’ve been pleased with that result, but he’ll hope to claim maximum points against Las Palmas.
Granada won the reverse tie 3-2 but that victory came on home soil. They haven’t managed to beat Quique Setien’s side away from home in the last two meetings, losing 4-1 last season. Las Palmas are tipped to make it two wins on the spin.
Alaves 11/10 | Draw 22/10 | Sporting Gijon 26/10
Newly-promoted Alaves showed that they won’t be pushovers in La Liga this season as they held Atletico Madrid to a 1-1 draw at the Calderon. Mauricio Pellegrino would’ve been pleased with his team’s fighting spirit to snatch a result in stoppage time.
Last season’s Segunda winners will be looking to build on that result, but it won’t be easy against Abelardo Fernandez’s side. Sporting Gijon will be high on confidence following their impressive 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao last Sunday. Alaves are solid at home and are tipped to edge their opponents at 11/10.
Athletic Bilbao 11/2 | Draw 37/10 | Barcelona 9/20
Athletic Bilbao suffered a 2-1 defeat to Sporting Gijon last Sunday and Ernesto Valverde will be hoping for a positive response against free-scoring Barcelona. The reigning champions thrashed Real Betis 6-2 last weekend with a hat-trick from Luis Suarez, a brace from Lionel Messi and a goal from Arda Turan.
Barca will want to put a string of wins together in their bid to claim their third straight La Liga title and will be confident of victory here. Luis Enrique’s men have won the last four meetings against Bilbao, scoring 12 goals while conceding twice. Back Barca on the Half-time/Full-time win at even money.
Villarreal 15/10 | Draw 47/20 | Sevilla 7/4
Villarreal, who finished fourth in La Liga last season, could only manage a 1-1 draw away to Granada last weekend. The Yellow Submarine will be hoping they can secure their first win against Sevilla on Sunday, but their record against Los Rojiblancos doesn’t bode well for their chances. Villarreal have won just once from their last eight meetings against Sevilla, suffering six defeats.
Los Rojiblancos come into this match off an astonishing 6-4 victory over Espanyol last weekend. Jorge Sampaoli would’ve been delighted with his side’s attacking display but the defence is a big worry for the former Chile boss. The safest bet here is Both Teams To Score at 6/10.
