There are some cracking La Liga matchups to look forward to in round 18, which kicks off on Saturday the 6th of January 2018.
The Spanish La Liga returns from break with some nice odds on offer from Hollywoodbets. There aren’t any blockbuster matchups to get excited about, but the set of fixtures seem quite simple to predict which way it will go.
Saturday 6 January
Atletico Madrid 4/10 | Draw 34/10 | Getafe 15/2 (14:00)
Atletico Madrid will look to start the New Year off with a bang after losing 1-0 at Espanyol in their last match of 2017. Diego Simeone’s men will welcome the return to the Wanda Metropolitano where they’ve won their last four games.
Diego Costa will also be raring to make his long-awaited debut since rejoining from Chelsea. Getafe are winless in their last seven away games (incl. Copa del Rey) with four defeats, failing to score in their last three. The home win looks a banker.
Valencia 13/20 | Draw 3/1 | Girona 39/10 (17:15)
Valencia have been on a slump since drawing 1-1 at home to Barcelona on Nov. 11. Since then, Los Che have lost three out of four matches, winning just once. Prior to drawing against Barca, they were riding an eight-game winning streak.
Girona suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat away to Eibar last time out, but before that loss, they had won back-to-back games against Espanyol and Getafe. After having a much-needed break, Valencia are tipped to claim all three points.
Las Palmas 31/20 | Draw 47/20 | Eibar 17/10 (19:30)
Las Palmas will be hoping for a fresh start to the New Year. With only three wins and 12 defeats from 17 games played, La Union Deportiva are in desperate need of points. The one positive is that they’ve shown great fighting spirit in their last two home games, taking four points. They eked out a 1-0 win over Real Betis and came from two goals down against Espanyol to earn a 2-2 draw.
Eibar are in great form, going unbeaten in their last six La Liga matches, winning five times. However, Los Armeros have conceded in five of their last six away games. Both Teams to Score is tipped at 6/10.
Sevilla 5/10 | Draw 7/2 | Real Betis 47/10 (21:45)
Sevilla’s recent slump saw the club sack coach Eduardo Berizzo with former AC Milan boss Vincenzo Montella likely to be chosen as the new Sevillistas tactician. The home side are winless in four matches with two defeats, scoring just two goals and shipping nine.
They’ll be desperate to start the New Year off with a victory over Real Betis. The visitors have recorded just one win in their last nine matches (incl. Copa del Rey), losing six times. Sevilla are a top bet at 5/10. Get on.
Sunday 7 January
Leganes 37/20 | Draw 9/4 | Real Sociedad 15/10 (13:00)
Real Sociedad travel to the outskirts of Madrid on Sunday to take on Leganes. The hosts have been on a slump, losing five of their last seven La Liga matches, winning just once. However, a win will see them leapfrog the visitors and go into the top half of the table.
Sociedad are unbeaten in their last two games, drawing goalless at Athletic Bilbao before beating Sevilla 3-1 at home last time out. La Real won 2-0 at Leganes last season and are well worth a punt at 15/10.
Barcelona 1/20 | Draw 12/1 | Levante 30/1 (17:15)
Table-toppers Barcelona are strong favourites to see off 16th-placed Levante on Sunday. The Catalans are unbeaten in La Liga this season, winning 14 of their 17 matches, scoring 45 goals while conceding seven.
Ernesto Valverde’s side have won their last four games in all competitions, netting 11 goals in the process without reply. Barca are unbeaten in their 20 meetings against Granotas with 16 wins, including six on the spin. In that six-match winning streak, they won by three or more goals five times. Back Valverde’s side to do so again at 5/10.
Athletic Bilbao 13/20 | Draw 11/4 | Alaves 9/2 (19:30)
Athletic Bilbao will look to extend their unbeaten streak to six matches when Alaves come to town on Sunday. In that run, Los Leones have won three while keeping four clean sheets. Although they’ve been solid in defence, they’ve struggled in front of goal, drawing blanks in their last two games at San Mames. Alaves have been in good form despite sitting down in 18th position.
El Glorioso have won four of their last five games (incl. Copa del Rey), scoring nine goals while conceding three. However, they’ve found it tough on their travels, losing three of their last four in the league. I’m going for the home win here.
Villarreal 6/10 | Draw 31/10 | Deportivo 9/2 (19:30)
After suffering three straight losses, Villarreal recorded back-to-back wins away from home, beating Celta Vigo and Valencia by 1-0 scorelines. The Yellow Submarine will be looking to take that form into the New Year and hand Deportivo a fourth straight defeat on the road.
Depor are flirting with relegation, sitting in 17th position on 15 points, level with 18th-placed Alaves. They’ve lost six of their eight away games. The home win is tipped.
Celta Vigo 9/2 | Draw 38/10 | Real Madrid 5/10 (21:45)
Real Madrid will want to start the New Year off on a high and move on from their humiliating 3-0 defeat at the Bernabeu by arch-rivals Barcelona last time out. Prior to that game, Zinedine Zidane’s men claimed the Club World Cup for the second successive year with a 1-0 win over Gremio in Abu Dhabi.
That was Los Blancos’ fourth straight win and their 10th game undefeated in all competitions. Real Madrid have won their last three trips to Celta Vigo, with last season’s meeting ending in a comfortable 4-1 victory. Zidane’s men are tipped to secure maximum points.
Monday 8 January
Malaga 31/20 | Draw 2/1 | Espanyol 39/20 (22:00)
Bottom side Malaga welcome 15th-placed Espanyol to the Estadio La Rosaleda on Monday night. The hosts will be desperate to turn their form around and will hope the New Year will bring them good fortune.
The White and Sky Blue are looking to avoid a third straight defeat while Espanyol are targeting their first win on the road. The Catalan side have drawn four and lost four away from home. They come into this tie off a superb 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid following a 2-2 draw at Las Palmas. I’m expecting a tight affair here with the sides tipped to cancel each other out.
QUAD TIPPED @ 7/1
Atletico Madrid Win 4/10
Sevilla Win 5/10
Real Sociedad Win 15/10
Real Madrid Win 5/10
