The 8th round of the Spanish La Liga brings us a lot of excitement, and two great games wait for us on Saturday, October 14th, 2017, when Alaves welcomes Real Sociedad at Mendizorrotza Stadium, while Atletico Madrid meets Barcelona at Wanda Metropolitano in a true clash of giants.
We expect to see some entertaining football, especially in the second match when Barca goes on Atleti in another La Liga derby. In this preview we’ll take a closer look at these two matches, and down below you will found some interesting tips and betting predictions, like always here on GetMoreSports.
ALAVES vs. REAL SOCIEDAD
3-Way: 1: Alaves +235; X: +263 Draw; 2: Real Sociedad +141
Spread +0.5: Alaves -139; Real Sociedad +127
Total +2.5: Over -110; Under +106
ALAVES
Six consecutive defeats at the start of the new La Liga campaign were a nightmare for Alaves’ fans, and it comes to an end in the seventh round with a victory over Levante on the road, 2:0. Now Alaves is sitting at the 19th place of the table with the first three points of the season and a miserable 3:10 goal difference. However, they’ve finally moved from the bottom of the table, ending an awful losing string.
The new manager, 61-year old Gianni De Biasi, seemed to be the right choice, as Alaves looked refreshed in the previous round against Levante. They were a better team from the start of the match, deservedly taking a lead before the halftime after a few great scoring opportunities. A former Albanian manager, who took them to the UEFA European Championship 2016 in France, is well-known for his defensive and patient approach, so it seems like the team is already adopting his ideas.
The 22-year old forward Munir El Haddadi, who should be the main force in Alaves’ attack, finally got his first goal of the season after a beautiful team effort. De Biasi’s boys were particularly dangerous from the left wing, where Alfonso and Duarte were pretty agile, making an assist each one.
Gianni De Biasi doesn’t have any serious injury worries, besides Victor Laguardia’s knee injury. The striker Bojan Krkic could be available for the game after having some muscular problems in the last couple of weeks.
REAL SOCIEDAD
Real Sociedad ended up their three-game losing streak with a spectacular 4:4 draw with Betis at home in the previous round of the Spanish La Liga. Eusebio’s team is in a bad form recently after an encouraging start of the season when they’ve won the first three matches. Now they are laying at the eight place of the La Liga table with 10 points and a 17:17 goal difference.
The Whites and Blues easily score goals, but they also easily allow other teams to score. In the last five encounters, including the second round match of the Europa League against Zenit Petersburg, Real Sociedad conceded 16 goals! Their defensive work was awful, especially against Betis when visitors bagged four goals out of the eight chances created. Eusebio’s attacking approach brings some goals, but his team will have to defend much better if they want a successful season. Obviously, they have a lot of problems with through balls, conceding two goals from Betis after inadmissible mistakes at the back.
On the other side, they managed to score 17 goals in the Spanish La Liga so far, creating 72 scoring opportunities. Xabi Prieto is playing exceptionally well in the midfield with two goals, two assists and 9 key passes on his account. Asier Illarramendi is also putting on great displays with 429 completed passes so far, and an 89% of pass accuracy.
The manager Eusebio is having some issues with injured players among the squad, as five players are doubtful for the next game, including the centre-back Inigo Martinez and a winger Adnan Januzaj. The right-back Carlos Martinez will be unavailable for at least two months with a ruptured cruciate ligament.
ALAVES vs. REAL SOCIEDAD – Match Prediction
The numbers are telling me to play on goals, and to go with the over as we saw 34 goals in seven Real Sociedad’s games so far. However, knowing De Biasi’s tactical approach, I’m pretty sure it is going to be a tough battle, so I’ll stick with the under in this one.
MY PICK: Under 2.5 goals (+106)
ATLETICO MADRID vs. BARCELONA
3-Way: 1: Atletico Madrid +195; X: +256 Draw; 2: Barcelona +174
Spread 0: Atletico Madrid +106; Barcelona -110
Total +2.5: Over -103; Under -101
ATLETICO MADRID
Atleti continued with the on-off form as they’ve won only a point with a nil-nil draw at Leganes in the previous round of the Spanish La Liga, after losing a derby clash of the Champions League second round against Chelsea at home, 2:1. The manager Diego Simeone is surely frustrated with dropping points against weaker sides, and now his team is six points behind Barcelona.
The Argentinian tactician surprised everyone with a 3-5-2 formation, but at the end, the goalkeeper Jan Oblak was a true salvor with a couple of excellent stops. At the front, Atleti are looking pretty inefficient since the start of the season, so there are a lot of issues in their team play. They bagged 12 goals in the first seven games, creating only 58 scoring chances. Twelve teams created more chances than Atletico Madrid in the Spanish La Liga so far.
The most dangerous man in the team is surely the 24-year old winger Yannick Carrasco. He bagged three goals in seven apps this season, adding two assists and eight key passes. Angel Correa and Koke are also playing well, but Atleti will need more from Antoine Griezmann and Luciano Vietto, who’s still goalless after five appearances so far.
The left-back Filipe Luis should be unavailable for the next match against Barca due to a muscle injury, along with the centre-back Lucas Hernandez who’s still suffering from a hamstring injury. All other players are ready to go.
BARCELONA
Everything’s going well for Barca on the pitch, and if we except the political situation they have to be pleased. After two defeats against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup at the start of the season, Ernesto Valverde’s team won nine consecutive games, including two victories in the UEFA Champions League. They are sitting at the top of the La Liga table with five points more than the closest rival, Sevilla, with a 23:2 goal difference, which is quite impressive.
In the previous round against Las Palmas, Barca won the game having the ball on their feet just 48% of the time, and we don’t see that often. Lionel Messi is absolutely glittering, netting 11 times in the first seven rounds of the Spanish La Liga, and against Las Palmas, he scored twice after assisting to Busquets for the first goal of the game. Meanwhile, Messi recorded a hat-trick against Ecuador to take his national team to the next World Cup. He’ll be the main threat on Saturday evening, but he’ll certainly have to deal with fatigue after a long trip back from South America.
It is clear that Valverde is doing a great job after Neymar left the club, and a new arrival Ousmane Dembele suffered from thigh muscle rupture, as the young Frenchman will be out for at least three months. Rafinha is also unavailable due to a meniscus injury, while Andres Iniesta is still doubtful for the match against Atleti.
ATLETICO MADRID vs. BARCELONA – Match Prediction
It is going to be Barca’s toughest test from the start of the Spanish La Liga, and I expect to see a great battle at Wanda Metropolitano. Atletico Madrid will try to beat them in front of the home fans, and Diego Simeone surely has a good plan how to do it. I think Atleti could stay undefeated in this one to bring to an end Barca’s winning string, which is why I am going with the draw.
MY PICK: Draw (+256)
