The ninth round of the Spanish La Liga is set for this weekend, and on Sunday, October 22nd, 2017, we’ll have a chance to see two great games – Villarreal welcomes Las Palmas at Estadio de la Ceramica, while Celta Vigo hosts Atletico Madrid at Balaidos.
In this preview, we’ll take a closer look at these four teams and their chances on Sunday afternoon. Some useful tips are waiting for you, along with our betting predictions, here on GetMoreSports.
VILLARREAL vs. LAS PALMAS
3-Way: 1: Villarreal -161; X: +359 Draw; 2: Las Palmas +600
Spread -1: Villarreal -112; Las Palmas +108
Total +3: Over +122; Under -132
VILLARREAL
The Yellow Submarine is back on the right track with two consecutive victories in the Spanish La Liga (2:1 with Girona, and 3:0 with Eibar). They are laying at the eighth place of the table with 13 points, an 11:10 goal difference and a form of WWLDW. In the previous round, Villarreal got the second win on the road in five games, while at home they have seven points out of three matches, allowing just one goal in a 3:1 victory over Betis.
Meanwhile, The Yellow Submarine played a 2:2 draw against Slavia Praha in the third round of the Europa League. The visitors had a two-goal lead after the first 30 minutes, but Manuel Trigueros and Carlos Bacca managed to level the game just before the halftime. Villarreal was a better team in the second half, failing to find the net from 11 shots on Slavia’s goal. The striker Cedric Bakambu, who scored the last five goals for his team in the Spanish La Liga (one hat-trick and one brace) came off the bench in the 60th minute, but he couldn’t help Villarreal to win this game.
While Bakambu is on fire lately, his partner Carlos Bacca is far away from the top form, as he found the net just two times in eight La Liga appearances. The fans expect more from the Columbian striker, who’s loaned from Milan until the end of the season. Samu Castillejo and Enes Unal are only two players left with at least a goal on the account.
The manager Javier Calleja is still without two goalkeepers, as Sergio Asenjo and Andres Fernandez are both sidelined due to a cruciate ligament rupture. Asenjo could be available soon, while Fernandez is out for at least three months. The talented left-back Adrian Marin is suffering from a knee injury, and he’s doubtful for the next game. The defensive midfielder Bruno Soriano missed 11 games with a leg injury, and it is still unknown where he’s going to be back on the field.
LAS PALMAS
After the fourth consecutive defeat, the alarm is ringing at Estadio Gran Canaria. La UD is playing poorly as they conceded 11 goals in those four losses, finding the net just two times against Celta Vigo in the previous round of the Spanish La Liga, when they were heavily beaten at home, 5:2. Las Palmas is now at the 18th place of the table, with six points out of the eight rounds, and a goal difference 7:18.
There are some serious problems in their defensive play, as they are standing too far from opponents, and the first two Celta’s goals just proved this assertion, while the fourth was more of the same. If they want to cut short the losing string, a much better defense is a must! On the other side, after three games in a row without finding a net, Las Palmas finally scored a couple of goals against Celta, so it could be some kind of boost for the next games. However, those goals came in the last three minutes of the game, when Celta already bagged five.
Loic Remy is back in the team after missing some games due to an injury, and he managed to score against Celta Vigo, while Vitolo has found the net, too. Jonathan Viera is a true creative force with 2 assists and 23 key passes to his name, and his teammates have to take advantage of those chances.
There is still some injured players among the squad, and the manager Pako Ayestaran will certainly miss them, as Alen Halilovic, Sergi Samper, and Dani Castellano are all out for the next game.
VILLARREAL vs. LAS PALMAS – Match Prediction
The Yellow Submarine is starting to build up the form, and they will look for the third win in the row. On the other hand, Las Palmas have to try to get something from this game after four consecutive defeats. I think this could be a great match, and I believe La UD has the quality to avoid another loss here.
MY PICK: Las Palmas Double Chance X2 (+170)
ADDITIONAL PICK: Both Teams to Score YES (-118)
CELTA VIGO vs. ATLETICO MADRID
3-Way: 1: Celta Vigo +355; X: +254 Draw; 2: Atletico Madrid +102
Spread +0.5: Celta Vigo -101; Atletico Madrid -101
Total +2.5: Over +129; Under -132
CELTA VIGO
The Sky Blues reached the 10th spot of the Spanish La Liga after hammering Las Palmas on the road, 5:2, in the eight round. They earned 11 points so far with an 18:13 goal difference, grabbing two consecutive away victories against Las Palmas and Eibar while playing two draws in a row at home with Girona and Getafe. In the ninth round, they will try to get a win in front of the home fans against heavyweight rival Atletico Madrid.
The forward Iago Aspas was magnificent in the previous round against Las Palmas, scoring a hat-trick after he couldn’t find the net in the first seven appearances. The striker Maximiliano Gomez is still the leading scorer with six goals in seven apps, while the winger Pione Sisto has six dishes on his account. The 20-year old forward Emre Mor, who joined from Borussia Dortmund this summer, got his first goal for the new club last weekend. The midfielder Daniel Wass is another key player with two goals and three assists to his name.
The manager Juan Carlos Unzue cannot count on defenders Hugo Mallo and Facundo Roncaglia as both players are suffering from a hamstring injury, while Emre Mor sprained his ankle and he’s doubtful for the derby match with Atletico Madrid. The goalkeeper Ruben Blanco will need to serve his suspension, after the red card in the previous round.
ATLETICO MADRID
Atletico Madrid was the first team this season to grab a point from Barca in the eighth round of the Spanish La Liga. They were playing bravely against Messi and co., having some chances to even get a win, but in the end, they were lucky to hold on to a draw. Diego Simeone’s team is now at the fourth spot of the La Liga table with 16 points, a 13:5 goal difference and a form of DDWWW. The third draw in the row came on last Wednesday when they disappointed the fans playing without goals against Qarabag in the third round of the UEFA Champion League.
Atleti created 63 scoring chances in the first eight rounds, and they still can’t find the right attacking flow. On the other hand, their defense looked impressive in the last couple of weeks, and Atleti conceded just one goal in the previous five games on the road. However, their last win came against Sevilla almost a month ago, so Diego Simeone will have to shake things a bit if he wants a victory at Balaidos. Everyone is expecting more from the star Antoine Griezmann, who scored just three goals in nine apps this season in all competitions.
The Argentinian tactician doesn’t have any injury worries, and he can count on all players in the squad. This year he was mixing the starting line up a lot, so we’ll see who’s going to be on the field against Celta on Sunday afternoon.
CELTA VIGO vs. ATLETICO MADRID – Match Prediction
This one is hard to predict it, as Celta is building up the form, while Atletico Madrid doesn’t look convincing in the final third. However, I expect to see some reaction from Simeone’s boys after four games in a row without a win, so I’ll put my money on Atleti.
MY PICK: Atletico Madrid to Win (+102)
