It was typical Cristiano Ronaldo last week as the Portuguese forward netted his 33rd La Liga hat-trick
Spanish La Liga action continues this Friday with plenty still to fight for in Spain’s top flight. Atletico Madrid continued to keep the pressure up at the top of the table, closing the gap to seven points after Barcelona’s stalemate against Getafe.
Elsewhere, it was typical Cristiano Ronaldo as the Portuguese forward netted his 33rd La Liga hat-trick in a 5-2 rout over Real Sociedad. Gameweek 24 promises to be just as exciting as the last, so let’s get straight to it!
Friday 16 February
Girona 17/20
Draw 9/4
Leganes 36/10
(22:00)
Girona suffered a disappointing setback, going down 1-0 to Sevilla last weekend – their first defeat in five matches. Leganes also fell to defeat, losing 1-0 at home to Eibar.
The hosts still find themselves in the top half of the table, but another loss here and as many as three teams could catch them up. Both managers set their sides up in a cautious way, hoping to avoid defeat instead of attacking the game. For that reason, I’m backing Under 2.5 Goals here 5/10.
Saturday 17 February
Las Palmas 24/10
Draw 26/10
Sevilla 1/1
(14:00)
Las Palmas grinded out a goalless draw last time out against Athletic Bilbao, in what was a relatively even matchup.
The Yellows have hopefully turned the corner and will look to make it three games in a row without tasting defeat. Sevilla kept their top four hopes alive with a commendable 1-0 win over Girona last weekend. On the road, Sevilla have won just four times in 12 matches, losing the other eight fixtures. This one is tough to call, so I would suggest backing Over 2.5 Goals at 6/10.
Eibar 5/1
Draw 33/10
Barcelona 5/10
(17:15)
Eibar will be hoping to continue their great run of form when they host log-leaders Barcelona this weekend. The hosts are unbeaten in four league matches and come off the back of a hard-earned victory over Leganes.
Barcelona’s lead at the summit was reduced once again as they drew their second consecutive game in La Liga. The visitors are also expected to rest a few key players for their UEFA Champions League tie against Chelsea. Barcelona will lose their first game of the season – you saw it here first! Back the hosts at 5/1!
Alaves 9/10
Draw 49/20
Deportivo 32/10
(19:30)
Alaves find themselves in a fairly comfortable position after winning their last two games on the bounce. The hosts are now placed in 16th position, but are seven points adrift of the drop zone.
Deportivo are second from the bottom and still have a long way to go if they are to climb out of the relegation zone. They’re winless in eight league matches, and in three of their last four games away from home, they lost by four goals or more. Back Alaves to make it three wins on the trot.
Malaga 28/10
Draw 49/20
Valencia 19/20
(21:45)
Malaga will be hoping to turn their wretched performances around when they host top-four competitors, Valencia. The hosts have not won in eight league games, scoring just one goal in that run.
The visitors overcame their dismal run of three losses in a row when they beat Levante 3-1 at home. They remain in third spot in the league and will surely fancy their chances against the division’s worst team. Valencia should claim maximum points here.
Sunday 18 February
Real Sociedad 11/20
Draw 33/10
Levante 17/4
(13:00)
Real Sociedad hope to get over their 5-2 hammering from Real Madrid when they host 17th-placed Levante. You can’t really fault Sociedad too much for that performance, it’s just that they just faced Cristiano Ronaldo at the worst possible time.
Levante are six points behind their opponents and are hovering above the relegation zone. They’ve won just once away from home this season and should struggle once again. Sociedad are tipped at 11/20.
Atletico Madrid 4/10
Draw 31/10
Athletic Bilbao 15/2
(17:15)
Atletico Madrid have done well to keep up the pressure, closing the gap between themselves and Barcelona to seven points. It’s still not the smallest mountain to climb, but there is certainly an improvement in the Madrid camp.
Athletic Bilbao were terrible last time out, drawing goalless yet again to make it five games without a win. Atletico came out 2-1 victors in the reverse fixture and are tipped to keep up the pressure at the summit with another win. Back the Home Win to Nil market at 17/20.
Espanyol 31/20
Draw 43/20
Villarreal 37/20
(19:30)
Espanyol desperately need to turn their fortunes around if they want to avoid a relegation scramble at the end of the season. The hosts are winless in five league matches, drawing their last two in a row.
Villarreal suffered their second defeat in a row last weekend when they lost 2-1 at home to Alaves. Before that, the Yellow Submarine were unbeaten in six games. I’m expecting a low-scoring affair here. Get on the Under 2.5 Goals market here at 6/10.
Real Betis 13/2
Draw 5/1
Real Madrid 3/10
(21:45)
Real Betis will be confident heading into this fixture, winning their last two matches in a row. This will no doubt be a trickier test than the last two, but based on Real Madrid’s form for much of the campaign, Betis could fancy their chances.
Cristiano Ronaldo showed that it’s too soon to say that he has passed his best years, netting in his 33rd La Liga hat-trick. Los Blancos are unbeaten in their last four games, scoring 18 times in that run. I’m backing the Away Win/Draw Double Chance & Both Teams to Score market at 6/10.
Monday 19 February
Getafe 13/10
Draw 9/4
Celta Vigo 43/20
(22:00)
Getafe produced one of the shock results of the weekend, earning a hard-fought point away to Barcelona. That was their fourth consecutive draw, but certainly their most joyful of the lot.
Celta Vigo will also be hoping to return to winning ways, going through a run of two games without a victory. Celta have lost six of their 12 away matches, while Getafe have also struggled in recent weeks. It seems to be a common result that I’m backing, but get on Under 2.5 Goals here at 7/10.
QUAD @ 40/1
- Eibar Win 5/1
- Alaves Win 9/10
- Valencia Win 19/20
- Atletico Madrid Win to Nil 17/20
