This week we’ll see a lot of action in the Spanish La Liga, as teams will play their fifth round games from Tuesday, 19th September, until Thursday, 21st September. Excitements are guaranteed on the first day of the round when Valencia hosts Malaga at Mestalla, while Barcelona welcomes Eibar at Camp Nou.
Barca is a huge favorite against Los Armeros especially because of their great form in the last couple of weeks. Anything but a demolition job will be an enormous surprise. The second match of the evening should be the tighter one, where we expect a great battle between Valencia and Malaga at Mestalla.
We would like now to take a proper preview for these two matches, so we can give you the best free betting predictions.
VALENCIA vs. MALAGA
Three-Way: 1: Valencia -143; X: +330 Draw; 2: Malaga +570
Spread -1: Valencia +102; Malaga -105
Total +2.5: Over -118; Under +117
VALENCIA
After the first four rounds of the Spanish La Liga, we have six undefeated teams, and Valencia is one of them. The Los Che have one victory (against Las Palmas in the first round) and three consecutive draws. If you take a look at their opponents in these matches, you can say it is a quite encouraging start of the season. Especially if you consider their brave performances against two heavyweights from Madrid.
In the last La Liga round against their city rivals, Levante, Valencia was a better team throughout the game, but they didn’t manage to take all three points. It was a tough match, as any city derby, with a couple of good chances on both sides. Valencia took the lead after an excellent Andreas Pereira’s cross and Rodrigo’s header. Pereira is already showing he’s going to be a great addition to the Valencia’s squad, and his talent could be crucial in this campaign. Santi Mina and Carlos Soler could make it 2:0, but they’ve missed two huge chances, and Los Murcielagos were punished very soon.
Against Malaga, Marcelino’s boys will be looking for a second win at home. If they continue with aggressive and attacking approach, they’ll be close to the finish line. However, they need to be more concentrated in the final third, scoring more goals from their chances. Valencia created 40 goal scoring opportunities, netting just four times. The team’s manager Marcelino has no injury worries, as a defender Ruben Vezo is the only unavailable player with a fractured toe.
MALAGA
Four losses out of first four games are Malaga’s record at the start of the 2017/18 La Liga, with a miserable 1:6 goal difference. It is the worst beginning of the season in the newer Malaga’s history. Despite the fact that the team has played pretty well against Atletico Madrid, particularly at the back, they were unable to escape another defeat because of their blank attacking display. Borja Baston had another top scoring chance in this game, failing to score once more. If he was more precise against Jan Oblak, maybe the final result could be different.
The next match against Valencia at Mestalla is another hard test for Michel’s guys, who should be concerned about his job. He really needs to jiggle his players, as they are looking like real losers with no faith in their own abilities. They managed to create just 29 scoring opportunities, and their only goal came after a set piece. I expect to see some changes in the starting eleven, as there are no serious injury problems among the squad, but we’ll see how Malaga’s manager Michel is going to react. If his guys lose another one, it could be his last game on team’s helm.
VALENCIA vs. MALAGA – Match Prediction
Considering Valencia’s good form we could expect a convincing win by a home team. However, this is La Liga, and there are no weak teams, so upsets could happen anytime. I believe Malaga will bring their best game on Tuesday, so maybe the Both teams to score YES could be the right choice.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (-115)
BARCELONA vs. EIBAR
Three-Way: 1: Barcelona -455; X: +1050 Draw; 2: Eibar +2600
Spread -2.5: Barcelona +106; Eibar -102
Total +4: Over +110; Under -112
BARCELONA
Barca is marching on after another win, their fourth consecutive from the start of the La Liga season. Blaugrana conceded for the first time in four rounds, still finding the way to defeat their rival. This time, the man of the match was Paulinho, who arrived this summer from Guangzhou Evergrande for a fee of €40 million. The defensive midfielder has scored the winning goal, proving he’s worth the money Barca has paid.
Ernesto Valverde’s team wasn’t playing convincing like in previous games, still taking the three points from Getafe. They allowed some good scoring chances, but a goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was doing his job. In the last couple of minutes, they even parked the bus, but a win was precious, so who can blame them.
The biggest problem in this game was not Shibasaki’s strike. It was Ousmane Dembele’s injury, and now he should be out for approximately four months with a thigh muscle rupture. It is a huge blow for Valverde’s side, as they brought the young Frenchman this summer as a replacement for Neymar. We’ll see how their reaction will be, and who is going to play along Messi and Suarez in the front. Gerard Deulofeu could be the first pick after some nice displays at the start of the season.
There are no other injury worries among the squad, but we can expect some changes in the starting lineup, as the schedule is pretty tight these days for Barcelona.
EIBAR
Los Armeros have beaten Leganes last Friday at the home stadium, so now they can travel relaxed to Nou Camp, and try to give all they could against the huge favorite. Two wins and six points out of the first four rounds in the La Liga are certainly satisfying, while anything from the encounter against Barca will be an extra bonus.
Eibar’s players have scored only two times in four games, just enough to take two victories. They’ve capitulated four times, and against Barca, they’ll need a lot of work and effort to keep their average score – one conceded goal per game. Last season they proved a few times they can surprise stronger teams, and this year they’ve played quite well against Bilbao and Sevilla, even losing those games.
The real hospital at Ipurua Municipal Stadium is going on, as the manager Jose Luis Mendilibar has five injured players. Surely, the charismatic tactician will select the best eleven for the match, looking for a huge upset.
BARCELONA vs. EIBAR – Match Prediction
Can Eibar stop Messi and Barca, or is it going to be another blowout? Even Dembele’s injury can affect Valverde’s team, Barcelona has everything in their own hands. Eibar lost all six previous games against Blaugrana, and they will try anything to earn a draw. Maybe the tight schedule is on their side, which is why I expect the total to be in the Under. Namely, Barcelona has scored 4 or more goals only once so far, while the visitors has played three games with only 1 goal scored in total.
MY PICK: Under 4 goals (-112)
