1 Expert Pick
Elche have scored in 11 straight matches. ...
Mallorca is a very tricky team to wager on. They tend to be much better at home than on the road, and teams tend to struggle in their stadium. They also normally tend to be a bit of a cagey side, but that hasn't been the case in the most recent weeks. The last four teams to travel to Mallorca were Athletic Club, Girona, Elche and Osasuna. All four of those matches saw not only the over 2.5 goals hit, but BTTS hit as well. If you don't like betting on overs, take BTTS instead!
Real Sociedad looked TERRIBLE the start of the season. I remember writing about them at the beginning season and I was throwing around the word "relegation". This team has completely come alive in the last couple months. They have won their last three matches, beating Getafe, Barcelona and Celta Vigo. Their last loss was over a month ago. Athletic Club is doing the opposite having lost four of their last five and are struggling to score. I think Real Sociedad win this outright.
I was fully prepared to talk about how "The juice is worth the squeeze" on the over for this match expecting to see it closer to -150. I was shocked to see big plus numbers like this. Athletic Club matches in the new year have been electric and their last six have all not only gone over 2.5 goals, but five of those six went over 3.5 and even over 4.5 goals. This is the kind of match you might want to look to ladder, but I love the 2.5 goals for a full unit.
To be honest with y'all, I'm a little bit shocked that Athletic Club are the favorites. I understand they're playing at home and that's a big deal in LaLiga, but I've been watching them in recent weeks and it's been a tough thing to witness. Athletic Club games have been exciting, but they're struggling to find results. They've conceded two or more goals in their last six matches straight, and conceded 18 goals over those matches. I don't see them stopping an in-form Sociedad from scoring.
I know that seeing the line set to 1.5 goals is always enticing, but seeing it for a Celta Vigo line seems even more enticing. They're far from the best team by any means, and I know Getafe matches are always risky betting on goals, but 1.5 is just frankly a weird line to me. Getafe have covered this now in five of their last six and Celta have done the same. Both teams are in need of points and should be looking to press. It might end 1-1, but I like the over 1.5!
Valencia are 15th on the table at the moment. While they're finding a good bit of form at the moment, their defense is leaving a lot to be desired. They have a joint second most goals conceded, with only Levante and Oviedo doing worse than them. They're finding goals, and success currently with their counter attacks. Expect them to buckle under Real Betis, but find one in the process. Take BTTS if you don't' like the over 2.5!
Valencia are in good form and have done a fantastic job taking points off Getafe and Espanyol. While they're finding success, this is a team that tends to struggle on the road, even more so understandably against strong front lines. They have only a single win on the road this season, while Real Betis has six of their eight wins at home. Expect Betis to get the job done!
Real Madrid was embarrassed on their last day of the UCL group stage as Benfica not only beat them, but battered them in the process. Madrid had Kylian Mbappe pick up a brace for their squad, and still ended up losing by multiple goals. Not only did they lose, but they saw two players sent off with reds as well. This is the kind of situation where you have a team with the caliber of Madrid, look to bounce back in an aggressive fashion, especially at home.
I know that I've probably bet Barcelona overs 15+ times this year, but lately, in LaLiga play, especially being on tired legs, I think this game actually goes low. Let's look at a few different things here. Barcelona are going to be tired. They've played six matches in a 15 day period before this, which included two Champions League bouts and a Copa del Rey match. They're rotating a lot, and have actually seen under 3.5 goals in five LaLiga matches. Elche like to park against good squads, and I think this ends pretty cagey.
Atletico Madrid are coming into this match off a 2-1 loss to Bodo Glimt in Champions League play. While this loss looks bad on paper, to be honest this match wasn't too important as they had already qualified for the next round. Now, Atletico Madrid can focus on LaLiga play for the time being. They have been in fantastic LaLiga form, and have enough quality in players like Alvarez and Sorloth to get all three points against a relegation Levante side.
Is it me, or does Osasuna sound like a Neil Diamond song? "Sweet Osasuna" ... bamp, bamp bamp ... (only thing I like about the Red Sox) shockingly, I enjoyed Song Sung Blue and I'm not really into music-based movies -- although Almost Famous is Top 10 all-time. I don't consider that about music really just about the band. I see Buckets is on this. I like it anyways. Los Rojillos (the Little Reds), which make me want a taco (soft shell obviously), are unbeaten in the past three.
Villarreal never seemed too preoccupied with the Champions League and almost regarded it as a nuisance, choosing instead to focus on Liga. For the most part, that helped domestic form, but lately it's been hard to distinguish Champs League from Liga for El Submarino Amarillo as it has been losing in each. In fact, only one goal scored across the last four matches, and while the Champs League adventure is no longer a distraction, Marcelino's side could use a jump-start. Pamplona might not be the place as Osasuna has started a move up the table, losing only one in ten (all competitions) while unbeaten four straight at El Sadar, and vet striker Ante Budimir scoring three times in the last two. Play Osasuna on Spread
Villarreal after an incredible start to the season, are starting to fall apart due to exhaustion and match congestion. This team that was so dominate, have now lost four matches in a row across all competitions. They've also been outscored 9-1 over those matches. They're struggling to score and defend. Then we have Osasuna who have been beasts playing at home. Just two losses in their 10 matches. I expect Osasuna to win outright, but worst case I like the split here.
Villarreal seemed to be broken by their Champions League campaign. The team is fourth in LaLiga, and picked up only one point over their eight UCL matches. This team seems to be a bit broken now, and the club will be desperate to return to winning ways. To do that, they'll need to get past Budimir and the Osasuna account. Budimir has been on fire for Osasuna, picking up three goals in their last two matches, and Osasuna has only dropped one match in their last five. I love goals in this match for both sides.