There are just 10 rounds left to go in the Spanish La Liga and Barcelona find themselves in a comfortable position to be crowned champions.
The Catalans are eight points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid and 15 ahead of defending champions and bitter rivals Real Madrid who are in third place.
Valencia, who finished 12th in La Liga last season, look likely to beat Sevilla to fourth place as they are 11 points ahead of Los Rojiblancos.
At the bottom end, Malaga look set to be relegated for the first time since being promoted in the 2008/09 campaign, while Levante (17th), Las Palmas (18th) and Deportivo (19th) will battle to avoid the drop.
Friday 16 March
21/10 Levante | Draw 21/10 | Eibar 14/10 (22:00)
Levante, currently 17th in La Liga, recorded their first league win in 16 matches when they won 1-0 at Getafe last weekend. The result boosted their survival hopes as they now sit four points clear of safety. Eibar, who are aiming to finish in the top half of the table in consecutive seasons, have recorded just one win in their last five matches, losing three times – two of those defeats coming against Barcelona and Real Madrid. Los Armeros have lost just once in their last seven travels, winning three times. These sides played to a 2-2 draw in October and I’m backing another stalemate here.
Saturday 17 March
8/10 Deportivo | Draw 26/10 | Las Palmas 33/10 (14:00)
Deportivo lie 19th in La Liga with five points behind 17th-placed Levante. Clarence Seedorf’s side are winless in 13 matches, losing nine times. They’ve scored just once in their last seven games while shipping 13 goals. Las Palmas are in 18th place with a point above their opponents. The visitors are winless in their last six matches with three defeats, including two on the bounce. They’re winless in their last 12 travels, losing nine times – they failed to score in 10 of those games. The best bet here is Under 2.5 Goals at even money.
9/20 Valencia | Draw 34/10 | Alaves 57/10 (17:15)
Valencia are unbeaten in their last six matches with five wins, including back-to-back victories over Real Betis and Sevilla. Los Che have won their last three games at the Mestalla Stadium and claimed a 2-1 victory over Alaves in October. El Glorioso have tasted defeat in their last two matches against Real Sociedad and Real Betis, while they’ve lost five of their last six travels. Back the home win.
7/10 Real Sociedad | Draw 11/4 | Getafe 4/1 (19:30)
Real Sociedad’s struggles on the road continued as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Espanyol, extending their winless run away from home to 10 matches. La Real will be delighted to be back on their ground where they’ve won three in a row, scoring 10 goals while conceding just once. Getafe will be looking to return to winning ways following back-to-back defeats against Real Madrid and Levante. However, they’ve won just once on their travels from 13 games. The home win is tipped.
5/4 Real Betis | Draw 9/4 | Espanyol 9/4 (21:45)
Real Betis claimed a third away win from their last four travels when they beat Alaves 3-1 on Monday night. Betis will be hoping to build on that result, but they’ve recorded just two wins from their last nine matches at home, losing four times. Espanyol are unbeaten in their last seven games in La Liga, however, five of those games have ended in draws. I’m backing the sides to share the spoils.
Sunday 18 March
23/10 Leganes | Draw 22/10 | Sevilla 5/4 (13:00)
Leganes have recorded just one victory in their last eight matches in La Liga, losing five times. That win came in their last home tie, beating bottom side Malaga 2-0. But prior to that, Los Legionarios were winless in their last three home games. Sevilla will be looking to bounce back from their 2-0 home defeat against Valencia. Los Rojiblancos have won three of their last four matches away from home, including back-to-back wins at Las Palmas and Malaga. The away win is tipped.
1/5 Barcelona | Draw 11/2 | Athletic Bilbao 25/2 (17:15)
Runaway leaders Barcelona are firm favourites to see off Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Ernesto Valverde’s side have been superb this season, especially at home where they’ve won 11 of their 13 games. The Lions are winless in their last five away matches, suffering three straight defeats without finding the net. The Catalans have won their last five league meetings against Bilbao, scoring 13 goals without reply. Back Barca to Win to Nil at 8/10.
5/10 Celta Vigo | Draw 32/10 | Malaga 11/2 (19:30)
Celta Vigo will be looking to put last Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid behind them and secure maximum points against bottom side Malaga. Celta are unbeaten in their last five home games with three wins, including two on the bounce. Malaga are winless in their last 13 games in La Liga with 11 defeats, including seven on the spin. Back the home win.
3/1 Villarreal | Draw 9/4 | Atletico Madrid 1/1 (19:30)
Villarreal ended a two-match losing streak by beating Las Palmas 2-0 in front of their fans. The Yellow Submarine will be looking to build on that result and extend their impressive recent record against Diego Simeone’s men. Villarreal are unbeaten in their last five La Liga meetings against Atleti, winning three times. Simeone’s men have lost just once – 1-0 away to Barcelona at the beginning of the month – in their last 11 matches in La Liga, winning nine times. My money’s on the away win.
1/6 Real Madrid | Draw 13/2 | Girona 25/2 (21:45)
Real Madrid have recorded six wins from their last seven matches, including back-to-back victories over Getafe and Eibar. Zinedine Zidane’s men will be looking to claim a fifth straight win at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Girona have been impressive this season for a promoted club as they occupy seventh place in La Liga. They’ve won four of their last five matches – they lost 6-1 at Barcelona last month – and claimed a shocking 2-1 win over Los Blancos in October. However, they’ve won just once in their last seven travels, losing four times. I’m going for Real Madrid to Win & Both Teams to Score at 11/10.
TREBLE @ 4/1
Deportivo vs Las Palmas Under 2.5 Goals 1/1
Real Sociedad Win 7/10
Celta Vigo Win 5/10
