Atletico Madrid are 10 points clear at the top of La Liga after extending their winning run with a 4-2 victory at Cadiz that saw Luis Suarez score a brace.
Image Copyright – Steve Haag Sports
Antoine Griezmann also scored for Barcelona, who won their fifth game in a row in the league and moved into second place for the first time this season. Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Levante in another slip in title race, the defending champions played with 10 men from the eighth minute after defender Eder Militao was sent off.
Standings provided by SofaScore LiveScore
Friday 5 February
29/20 Alaves | Draw 2/1 | Valladolid 2/1 (22:00)
Alaves ended their four-match losing streak when they played to a goalless draw with Getafe last week. The draw was still not enough for the hosts to move out the red zone, they remain 18th on the standings, level on 17 points with 17th-placed Osasuna.
Real Valladolid come off a 3-1 loss to fellow relegation strugglers Huesca and they face another relegation-fighting team. If the visitors lose again, they will see themselves in big trouble and that’s what Alaves will be hoping for. A win against fellow relegation fighters will be killing two birds with one stone for either team. Both teams are struggling at the moment but Alaves should win here.
Saturday 6 February
13/10 Levante | 21/10 | Granada 23/10 (15:00)
Levante had made a slow start to their season and had been stuck in the bottom tier of the table for quite a while. However, as of now, they are performing well, and are determined to make up for their dropped points earlier in the season. Just the last matchday, they defeated reigning champions Real Madrid. Moreover, Paco Lopez’ men do also have a great head-to-head record against their opponents as they are unbeaten in the last three league meetings. The hosts are in-form and like the old saying that says “back a winner until it loses”. I’ll be backing Levante here – a side that has lost once in 12 matches and unbeaten in their last seven.
6/1 Huesca | 7/2 | Real Madrid 9/20 (17:15)
After losing five consecutive matches, Huesca went on to draw with Villareal and beat Valladolid 3-1 – picking up four points from their last two matches. Real Madrid, on the other hand, come from a disappointing defeat at home to Levante. Los Blancos were looking to close the gap on runaway leaders Atletico Madrid, who are now 10 points clear with a game in hand. This means Madrid will have to win all of their upcoming matches to put pressure on Atletico. Madrid just can’t be trusted at the moment, so, back BTTS here at 19/20.
48/10 Elche | 11/4 | Villarreal 6/10 (19:30)
A low-key affair this Saturday sees Villarreal travel to face Elche Estadio Martinez Valero where both sides are desperate for a win. Elche are winless in their last 15 La Liga matches, while their opponents will be looking to end their streak of three consecutive draws. Villarreal should bounce back to winning ways in this match.
7/10 Sevilla | 5/2 | Getafe 44/10 (22:00)
We round off the day’s matches with an interesting clash between high-flying Europa League champions Sevilla taking on Getafe. The hosts are cruising, winning each of their last five matches across all competitions and winning 13 of their last 15.
Things are not looking good for Getafe this season and they are nowhere near the form they showed last season where they were fighting for top four. Sevilla are fourth on the log, one point behind Barcelona and Real Madrid who are tied on 40 points. Back Sevilla to win this match at a valuable 7/10.
Sunday 7 February
9/20 Real Sociedad | 33/10 | Cadiz 13/2 (15:00)
Real Sociedad have had a big dip in form, going from looking
like a title-challenging team to a side that’s now recorded two wins from their
last 18 matches. The big turn around has seen them drop from top to sixth on
the log, and failure to win here will see them drop even further down. Cadiz
are also winless in their last three La Liga outings, conceding nine goals in
the process. Back Sociedad to win their
first La Liga match in 2021.
21/20 Athletic Bilbao | 9/4 | Valencia 28/10 (17:15)
A battle of two inconsistent teams will see Athletic Bilbao welcome Valencia to the San Mames. Both these sides are nowhere near their best as we know them to be teams that compete in the UEFA Champions League. This season they are typical midtable teams that are very unpredictable. It’s hard to separate these two sides, so back a share of the spoils.
7/4 Osasuna | 18/10 | Eibar 39/20 (19:30)
Depending on the results in the match between Alaves and
Valladolid, Osasuna could be in the red zone by the time this game starts and
that will put a lot of pressure on both teams. Osasuna have done very well in
the last five matches, winning and drawing two matches while losing just once.
Eibar are winless in their last five matches. The visitors haven’t beaten their
opponents in six games, and I doubt that record will end here. This won’t be an easy game but because of
recent form, I’ll be backing Osasuna.
42/10 Real Betis | 33/10 | Barcelona 11/20 (22:00)
We wrap up the weekend fixtures with an interesting clash as rejuvenated Barcelona visit Real Betis. Since losing 3-0 to Juventus in the Champions League, Barcelona’s season has changed for the good. They went on to win eight of their 10 La Liga games while drawing the other two. The visitors are riding on a five-match winning streak in the league which has seen them climb the ladder to second spot on the log. Barcelona are now back in the title race, but they have to continue winning games to put pressure on log leaders. Back Barcelona to win convincingly.
TREBLE @ 46/10
Alaves Win 29/20
Barcelona Win 11/20
Atletico Madrid Win 5/10
Written by Banele Pikwa
