The things are getting more and more interesting in the Spanish La Liga as we are approaching the Round 23, and this weekend we will see a great match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad on Saturday, February 10th, 2018, a city derby between Valencia and Levante at Mestalla on Sunday, February 11th, 2018, while the closing game is set for Monday, February 12th, 2018, when Deportivo La Coruna welcomes Betis at Riazor in another thrilling clash.
ATHLETIC BILBAO vs. LAS PALMAS
3-Way: 1: Athletic Bilbao -204; X: +342 Draw; 2: Las Palmas +577 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -1: Athletic Bilbao -121; Las Palmas +108
Total +2.5: Over -141; Under +117
ATHLETIC BILBAO
The Lions were beaten by Girona 2-0 in the previous round of the Spanish La Liga, and it was their first defeat in the last eleven La Liga games, while they are also without a win for four matches in a row, recording three consecutive draws in the process. They are sitting at the 13th spot of the table with 27 points and a 24:25 goal difference, ten points ahead of their next rival, and above the relegation zone.
Injuries and suspensions: Iker Muniain (knee), Mikel Balenziaga (muscle)
Head-to-head: Earlier in the season, Las Palmas has won at home, 1-0, while in the previous four H2H duels both teams have recorded one victory each, and two matches were ended in a stalemate.
LAS PALMAS
La UD continues to fight against the relegation, and on last weekend they won 1-0 over Malaga to record their second victory in the last three La Liga matches. They are now four points ahead of Malaga at the bottom of the table, but still three points deep in the relegation mire. On the road, Las Palmas has recorded four straight losses without scoring a single goal, conceding 13 in a return.
Injuries and suspensions: Pedro Bigas (knee)
Athletic Bilbao vs. Las Palmas – Match Prediction
Maybe Las Palmas improved their attacking play, but their defense is still among the worst in the league, so I believe we will see at least three goals in this clash. On the other side, nine out of the ten matches played at San Mames this season were ended in the under.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 Goals (-141)
VILLARREAL vs. ALAVES
3-Way: 1: Villarreal -145; X: +276 Draw; 2: Alaves +430 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -1: Villarreal +128; Alaves -147
Total +2.5: Over +103; Under -122
VILLARREAL
The Yellow Submarine was beaten by Betis 2-1 in the previous round of the La Liga to put an end to a three-game winning string, while Villarreal is still in the fifth spot of the table with 37 points and a 33:26 goal difference, four points ahead of Sevilla in the fifth spot. At home, they’ve won two previous matches against Real Sociedad (4-2), and Levante (2-1), while they couldn’t keep the clean sheet for five games on the home soil.
Injuries and suspensions: Ruben Semedo (muscle), Nicola Sansone (calf), Adrian Marin (hamstring), Daniele Bonera (red card suspension), Rodrigo Hernandez (yellow card suspension)
Head-to-head: In the last four H2H duels both teams have recorded two wins each, while just one of these four tilts were finished in the under. Villarreal has won 3-0 their first meeting of the season at Mendizorrotza.
ALAVES
The Glorious One is playing excellent football since Abelardo Fernandez took the helm, and in the last four La Liga matches they’ve earned two victories along with one draw, and a 2-1 defeat against Barcelona on the road when no one expected a miracle. Alaves has lost three consecutive matches away from home, while they are currently sitting at the 16th spot of the table with 22 points and a 19:32 goal difference, five points above the relegation zone.
Injuries and suspensions: Burgui (muscle, doubtful)
Villarreal vs. Alaves – Match Prediction
Villarreal is a strong favorite in this one, and I believe they will earn three points in front of the home fans, while I don’t expect to see a bunch of goals, as the visitors will certainly try to benumb the match.
MY PICK: Under 2.5 Goals (-122)
MALAGA vs. ATLETICO MADRID
3-Way: 1: Malaga +554; X: +281 Draw; 2: Atletico Madrid -169 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread +1: Malaga -125; Atletico Madrid +111
Total +2: Over -118; Under +102
MALAGA
The Anchovies didn’t taste the victory since December 12th, 2017, when they won 2-0 at Sociedad, while in the previous five rounds they’ve recorded two draws and three losses, including a painful 1-0 defeat against Las Palmas on the road last weekend when they conceded a goal in the dying minutes of the second half. Malaga is still at the bottom of the La Liga table, but now they are seven points behind the safe zone. At home, they couldn’t find the net for four games in a row.
Injuries and suspensions: Juankar (knee), Adalberto Penaranda (muscle)
Head-to-head: Atletico Madrid won the previous four H2H duels, including a 1-0 victory at home earlier in the season, while Malaga’s last win came two years ago at La Rosaleda, 1-0.
ATLETICO MADRID
Atleti have beaten Valencia 1-0 at home in the previous round of the Spanish La Liga to record their fourth victory in the last five rounds, keeping their net intact once again, and what is more important – increasing their lead ahead of Valencia to nine points. They are also trailing nine points behind the leader Barcelona who lost two points against Espanyol in the previous round.
Injuries and suspensions: Filipe Luis (hamstring), Stefan Savic (hamstring), Diego Godin (facial injury, doubtful)
Malaga vs. Atletico Madrid – Match Prediction
I don’t see how Malaga can damage Atleti’s defense, as they are goalless for four straight matches at home, so I’ll go with the visitors in this one.
MY PICK: Atletico Madrid AH -1 (+111)
LEGANES vs. EIBAR
3-Way: 1: Leganes +193; X: +200 Draw; 2: Eibar +170 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread 0: Leganes +102; Eibar -113
Total +2: Over -106; Under -108
LEGANES
Two draws and one win in the last three rounds of the Spanish La Liga kept Leganes in the middle of the table, while at home they’ve won three matches in a row, beating Espanyol (3-2), Real Sociedad (1-0), and Villarreal (3-1). Leganes is still among the toughest opponents in the La Liga, and their 20:21 goal difference surely tells a lot, while on the other side, three out of their last four games were ended in the over.
Injuries and suspensions: Joseba Zaldua (yellow card suspension), Alexander Szymanowski (muscle, doubtful)
Head-to-head: Eibar won four out of the previous six H2H matches, including a 1-0 victory at home earlier in the season, while the other two tilts were ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
EIBAR
The Gunsmiths put on a show last weekend when they smashed Sevilla 5-1 at home to record their first win in the last four La Liga games along with two draws and a 1-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid on the home soil. The new acquisition from Valencia, Fabian Orellana, scored a brace against Sevilla, proving he will be a great addition to this team, while Eibar is still searching for that Europa League spot.
Injuries and suspensions: Pedro Leon (knee), Fran Rico (knee), Sergi Enrich (meniscus)
Leganes vs. Eibar – Match Prediction
This is a pretty tricky match to predict the final outcome, and although I think we’ll see a tight game with no more than two goals in the total, the spread is set exactly at 2 goals, so I’ll try with a draw.
MY PICK: Draw (+200)
REAL MADRID vs. REAL SOCIEDAD
3-Way: 1: Real Madrid -400; X: +616 Draw; 2: Real Sociedad +880 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -2: Real Madrid +102; Real Sociedad -114
Total +4: Over -125; Under +106
REAL MADRID
Los Blancos continues to upset their fans, and in the previous round of the Spanish La Liga, they failed to get a win against Levante on the road, earning a disappointing 2-2 draw at the end. They are still in the fourth spot of the La Liga table with 39 points and a 45:21 goal difference, two points ahead of Villarreal in the fifth spot, but ten points behind the city-rival Atletico Madrid in the second position. It seems like Zinedine Zidane’s boys are just waiting for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, and they just don’t care if they lose some points along the way.
Injuries and suspensions: Jesus Vallejo (hamstring), Dani Ceballos (ankle, doubtful)
Head-to-head: Real Madrid won the previous six H2H duels including a 3-1 victory at Sociedad earlier in the season. Just one of these six tilts had more than four goals in the total.
REAL SOCIEDAD
After four defeats in a row Real Sociedad finally got three points on last weekend, beating Deportivo La Coruna 5-0 at home to prove they didn’t forget to score more than twice in one game. They are currently in the disappointing 14th spot of the La Liga table with 26 points and a 41:40 goal difference, nine points above the relegation zone, and seven points behind Sevilla in the sixth spot which leads to the Europa League next season.
Injuries and suspensions: Ruben Pardo (ankle)
Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad – Match Prediction
Real Madrid is certainly one of the worst teams to bet on this season, and the spreads in this one are pretty tricky, so I think you should skip it. The bookies expect a bunch of goals, the visitors’ defensive work is ridiculous thus far, so I’ll go with the over.
MY PICK: Over 4 Goals (-125)
SEVILLA vs. GIRONA
3-Way: 1: Sevilla -147; X: +300 Draw; 2: Girona +397 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -1: Sevilla +121; Girona -140
Total +2.5: Over -133; Under +110
SEVILLA
Sevilla was heavily beaten 5-1 by Eibar on the road in the previous round of the La Liga, and it was their third defeat in the last five La Liga matches, while on the road they’ve lost four out of the previous five matches. At home, they are winless for three encounters in a row, so against Girona, the fans will certainly demand a victory.
Injuries and suspensions: Ever Banega (yellow card suspension)
Head-to-head: The visitors are newcomers in the Spanish La Liga, and they’ve lost the previous duel with Sevilla at home, 1-0, earlier in the season.
GIRONA
After a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the previous round, Girona moved up to the ninth spot of the La Liga table with 31 points and a 31:29 goal difference, just two points behind their next rival. Girona is unbeaten in the last four matches, recording a couple of wins and draws in the process, while on the road, they didn’t taste the win in the previous four encounters, also recording two wins and two stalemates.
Injuries and suspensions: Pablo Maffeo (yellow card suspension)
Sevilla vs. Girona – Match Prediction
This will be a difficult game for the home team, as the fans expect a convincing triumph, while the visitors are playing in the solid form recently. However, I think they will find the way to win this one in front of the home fans.
MY PICK: Sevilla AH -1 (+121)
BARCELONA vs. GETAFE
3-Way: 1: Barcelona -909; X: +909 Draw; 2: Getafe +2012 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -2.5: Barcelona -104; Getafe -106
Total +3.5: Over -116; Under -103
BARCELONA
Barca failed to win a city derby against Espanyol last weekend, earning a 1-1 draw against the well-prepared neighbors, but they are still comfortably topping the table with 58 points and a 60:11 goal difference, nine points ahead of the closest rival Atletico Madrid. Barcelona is still unbeaten after 22 rounds played this season, while they’ve won nine out of ten matches on the home soil with a 31:5 goal difference.
Injuries and suspensions: Ousmane Dembele (muscle), Gerard Pique (knee), Samuel Umtiti (yellow card suspension)
Head-to-head: Barca won the previous four H2H meetings, including a 2-1 victory in the fourth round of the season. The last two tilts at Camp Nou were finished with the identical result, 6-0 for Barca.
GETAFE
Getafe is undefeated in the last four La Liga matches, while they’ve drawn three times in a row, the last one against Leganes at home (0-0) in the previous round. On the road, Getafe has recorded just one victory this season in ten matches, while in the previous five encounters away from home they’ve earned two draws and three losses. Getafe is currently in the 11th spot of the table with 29 points and a 26:21 goal difference, just four points behind Sevilla in the sixth spot.
Injuries and suspensions: Markel Bergara (metatarsal fracture)
Barcelona vs. Getafe – Match Prediction
Barca had a lot of problems to beat Alaves in their previous game at Camp Nou, so I think they will start this one more aggressively, and we could see at least three goals in visitors’ net.
MY PICK: Barcelona AH -2.5 (-104)
CELTA VIGO vs. ESPANYOL
3-Way: 1: Celta Vigo -115; X: +254 Draw; 2: Espanyol +338 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Celta Vigo -114; Espanyol +100
Total +2.5: Over -103; Under -116
CELTA VIGO
The Sky Blues were beaten 2-1 by Alaves on last weekend, and it was their first defeat in the La Liga this year after a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid and three consecutive wins over Betis (3-2), Real Sociedad (2-1), and Levante (1-0). They are currently in the eighth spot of the La Liga table with 31 points and a 39:32 goal difference, two points behind Sevilla in the sixth, and eight points behind Real Madrid in the fourth spot.
Injuries and suspensions: Hugo Mallo (toe, doubtful)
Head-to-head: Espanyol won their first H2H meeting of the season at home, 2-1, while Celta Vigo won two out of the previous four duels, and two tilts were ended in a draw.
ESPANYOL
Espanyol has managed to earn a huge point against mighty Barcelona in the previous round of the Spanish La Liga, but they are still winless for four games in a row, recording two draws and two losses in the process, so they are currently in the 15th spot of the La Liga table with 25 points and a disappointing 19:29 goal difference. However, they’ve managed to get a goal against Barca’s sturdy defense, so it will be a huge boost before they meet Celta Vigo this weekend.
Injuries and suspensions: Pablo Piatti (muscular problems, doubtful)
Celta Vigo vs. Espanyol – Match Prediction
This is certainly one of the most interesting matches of the round, and it should be a tight battle with at least one goal on both sides. Espanyol is pretty inefficient this season, but that one goal against Barca should help them with the attacking flow in this clash.
MY PICK: Both Teams to Score YES (-118)
VALENCIA vs. LEVANTE
3-Way: 1: Valencia -200; X: +348 Draw; 2: Levante +545 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -1: Valencia -121; Levante +108
Total +3: Over +105; Under -124
VALENCIA
The Bats are struggling in the last few weeks, losing three matches in a row including a 1-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid on the road last Sunday. They are still in the third spot of the Spanish La Liga table with 40 points and a 42:26 goal difference, but their rivals are getting closer, so three points in the city-derby are imperative.
Injuries and suspensions: Andreas Pereira (Achilles tendon), Goncalo Guedes (hamstring, doubtful)
Head-to-head: Besides a 1-1 draw in the first meeting of this season, both teams have recorded two wins each in the previous four H2H encounters.
LEVANTE
The Frogs are in crisis for a long time, they didn’t taste the win in the La Liga since November 19th, 2017, but in the previous round they’ve managed to earn a 2-2 draw against heavyweight Real Madrid, as the new arrival Giampaolo Pazzini scored the equalizer in the 89th minute of the game. In the last five matches away from home, the Frogs have recorded three draws and two losses, while they are currently in the 17th spot of the table with 20 points and a 20:32 goal difference, just three points above the relegation zone.
Injuries and suspensions: Jefferson Lerma (muscle), Ivan Lopez (knee)
Valencia vs. Levante – Match Prediction
The stake is always huge in the city derby like this one, but after three losses in a row Valencia will have to win, and I think the off-form Levante will be defeated at the end of the match.
MY PICK: Valencia AH -1 (-121)
DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA vs. BETIS
3-Way: 1: Deportivo La Coruna +125; X: +264 Draw; 2: Betis +206 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Deportivo La Coruna +127; Betis -150
Total +3: Over -106; Under -109
DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA
Depor sacked Cristobal Parralo after a terrible 5-0 defeat against Real Sociedad on last weekend, and they’ve already hired Clarence Seedorf as their new manager. Dutchman will have a difficult task to keep Depor in the La Liga, as his team possesses the worst defense in the league, while they are in the relegation zone with 17 points and a 24:51 goal difference, three points behind Levante in the safe 17th spot.
Injuries and suspensions: Sidnei (hamstring)
Head-to-head: In the previous three H2H duels we saw all three different final outcomes, while Betis won the first clash of the season on the home soil, 2-1.
BETIS
The Big Greens have won three out of their last five La Liga matches along with two defeats, and all these five tilts were ended in the over. In the previous round of the Spanish La Liga they have beaten Villarreal 2-1 in front of the home fans, and now they are sitting at the 10th spot of the table with 30 points and a 37:45 goal difference. Betis has conceded 12 goals in the last five away matches, but they’ve managed to win twice in the process along with three losses.
Injuries and suspensions: Zouhair Feddal (Achilles tendon), Antonio Sanabria (knee), Antonio Barragan (yellow card suspension)
Deportivo La Coruna vs. Betis – Match Prediction
The new manager is almost always a huge boost for the team, so I expect from Depor to bring their best game against Betis, and finally get important three points. However, if you don’t fancy Depor’s chances in this one, you can always bet on the over.
MY PICK: Deportivo La Coruna to Win (+125)
