The third round of the Spanish La Liga brought us some great matches, beautiful goals, and one huge upset. We hope that the fourth round will be the same story, maybe even better!
In this preview we will take a closer look at two interesting games scheduled for this Saturday’s evening – Betis welcomes Deportivo La Coruna at Estadio Benito Villamarin, while Malaga visits Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano, Atletico’s new home. We’ll give you some useful information and tips, as we always do here at GetMoreSports.
BETIS vs. DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA
Three-Way: 1: Betis -104; X: +270 Draw; 2: Deportivo La Coruna +375
Spread -0.5: Betis -112; Deportivo La Coruna +106
Total +2.5: Over -101; Under -102
BETIS
Los Verdiblancos will try to quickly forget the last encounter at Villarreal, when they’ve lost 3:1, and regroup for the clash against Deportivo La Coruna in front of the home fans. Although Betis got the first goal, they were easily beaten by The Yellow Submarine after some serious mistakes. Antonio Adan’s great fail helped Carlos Bacca to level the score after a Columbian striker took a full advantage of a goalkeeper’s error. The third goal came after a long through ball, which caught Betis’ defenders on sleep.
Quique Setien’s boys need to work on their defending, it is so obvious after conceding six goals in the first three rounds. When we look at the names, they are all well-known defenders (Jordi Amat, Antonio Barragan, Riza Durmisi…), but they need to improve their performances. The Mexican midfielder and a former Deportivo La Coruna player, Andres Guardado, could be a creative force in the midfield. The 30-year old versatile midfielder made two assists and three key passes so far. His pinpoint crosses led Betis to the only three points in this La Liga season. The team’s captain Joaquin, winger Cristian Tello (came from Fiorentina this summer) and former Osasuna’s forward Sergio Leon will be the main threats in the front, as Leon already bagged a couple of goals.
Ryad Boudebouz and Joel Campbell are unavailable due to knee injuries, while all other players are ready to play. Setien made some changes after a win against Celta Vigo, and now I expect him to bring back Guardado and Camarasa to the starting lineup.
DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA
If Betis has problems with their defense, what can we say about Deportivo’s defending? They’ve conceded nine goals in the La Liga (three from Real Madrid, two from Levante and four from Sociedad), and they have only one point after the first three games. In the last match against Real Sociedad at home, we saw some of the worst defending jobs this year. They even allowed Illarramendi to score in a Messi’s style, passing through the whole defense. The centre-back duo, Sidnei, and Fabian Schar, was looking like a couple of amateurs, even the Swiss is the only new guy in the line, with Juanfran and Luisinho at full-backs. Deportivo’s manager Pepe Mel had every reason to be furious after a 4-2 defeat on Sunday. His players have to be far more aggressive, as they are winning only 40% of duels per game.
Offensively his team is looking good. They’ve scored four goals, failing to find the net only against the defending champion Real Madrid in the opening round of the season. Even then Depor created some danger attacks, hit the crossbar, and the Romanian striker Florin Andone missed the penalty in the 89th minute. They can certainly improve, but Pepe Mel will have to focus on team defense and pressuring the ball. He has no injury concerns, just the winger Carlos Gil is doubtful for the clash because of the groin injury.
BETIS vs. DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA – Match Prediction
Both teams are struggling defensively, with some dangerous attacking potential. It seems like a game with a bunch of goals, especially when we look at previous rounds. However, every string has an end. Maybe the best choice to put your money on could be Both teams to score YES, as this clash could be finished in a 1:1 draw.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (-115)
ATLETICO MADRID vs. MALAGA
Three-Way: 1: Atletico Madrid -294; X: +550 Draw; 2: Malaga +1825
Spread -1.5: Atletico Madrid -118; Malaga +125
Total +2.5: Over -119; Under +119
ATLETICO MADRID
After the first two rounds of the La Liga and a 7:3 goal difference, Atleti finally had some of their usual games. Two goalless draws in just a four days, that is more expected. On last Saturday they failed to find the Valencia’s net even with some good chances, especially for Luciano Vietto, who has an advantage over Fernando Torres. In the opening game of the new Champions League season against Roma at Stadio Olimpico, the final result was the same although Atleti had 21 shots from which 10 was on target. The team is creating chances (18 so far in the La Liga), and two consecutive clean sheets are pretty encouraging.
Diego Simeone is still mixing the defensive line, and now it looks like a plan. Stefan Savic and Lucas Hernandez started against Valencia, while Diego Godin was playing along Montenegrin defender in Italy. Now he can concentrate on the Spanish La Liga fixture against Malaga, where his boys need to break a deadlock. Antoine Griezmann will be back in action after a suspension, and he’s certainly ready to get some goals. We’ll see who’s going to be his partner at the front, as El Cholo has no injury worries among the squad. The victory at home against Malaga is a priority, so we can expect the attacking formation.
MALAGA
Two teams still didn’t get a single point, and one of them is Malaga. From the start of the La Liga season the team is looking frightened to death, and after the last debacle against Las Palmas, the things become pretty shaky at La Rosaleda. Now they are facing a difficult challenge against Atletico Madrid, and in the next round, they will visit Valencia for another tough encounter. It is a pretty tight schedule for Michel’s boys.
Malaga’s players managed to score just once from 22 goal scoring chances, so obviously they have some psychological issues. They are also losing battles on the field with just 38% of duels won per game. They have to play more bravely, and against tough oppositions, they need to take advantage of their chances. On this Saturday we’ll see how they’ll cope with problems. Borja Baston, who’s playing on loan from Swansea, will be the key player in the front, but till now he hasn’t scored from his four shots (all four was on target).
The Uruguayan striker Diego Rolan is still doubtful due to injury, and he could certainly help in this situation. Midfielders Jony and Keko are injured, too.
ATLETICO MADRID vs. MALAGA – Match Prediction
After some poor displays in the first three rounds, I don’t see Malaga taking anything from this game. Atletico Madrid is playing at home, and after two goalless games, they will be looking for some blood. Sometimes the best bet is the safest bet, and I’ll put my money on Atletico Madrid to win.
MY PICK: Atletico Madrid -1.5 AH (-118)
