Villarreal vs Real Betis
Estadio de la Ceramica, Villarreal
Friday, 27-09-2019 @10pm
Things have finally started to look up for Villarreal who have gone from being winless in their opening two games to recording back to back wins in their most recent matchups.
The hosts took down Valladolid with a 2-0 scoreline in their last home clash, prior to which they thrashed Leganes with three unanswered goals to their name.
Real Betis have tasted success not more than once in their previous five games in the La Liga. The visitors have salvaged just two points from a maximum six in their last two clashes and have been far from convincing in pulling off a win.
Furthermore, the away side are yet to pick up a win on the road. With home advantage out of the equation this week, a third defeat is certainly looming large for Betis.
Three of the last five games have seen Villarreal come out on top. Their previous encounter here ended in a 2-1 defeat for Real Betis. Only one of their past ten fixtures here have ended in a stalemate. Both teams have got their names on the scoresheet together in their last four clashes.
Athletic Bilbao vs Valencia
Estadio San Mames Barria, Bilbao
Saturday, 28-09-2019 @2pm
Valencia face a trip up north to Bilbao where they’ll be hosted by a high-flying Athletic Club side at San Mamés. Can Los Ches get back to their winning ways?
Athletic have got their season off to flying start after pleasantly surprising everyone by fighting for 1st place in the opening weeks of the league. Los Leones lost some ground at the top of the table following their 1-1 draw midweek with Leganés.
After a goalless first half, Raúl García finally opened the scoring with half an hour to go as the Pamplona native booted the ball into the roof of the net through a penalty and claiming his 4th goal of the campaign. However, Bilbao would lose their lead and things were brought level a mere 2 minutes later as Óscar Rodríguez scored an excellent free-kick just outside the box to essentially deny Los Leones all 3 points.
Valencia also saw out a draw on Wednesday with Getafe, although their game was much more goal-filled than Bilbao’s. Jaime Mata scored a 1st-minute goal at Mestalla to give the visitors the lead and inserting even more dread into the valencianistas’ minds.
However, half an hour later the home side put their fans at ease as they scored a trio of goals within 9 minutes. Valencia then took control of the game but as the minutes passed by, Getafe grew in confidence and eventually pulled one back in the 66th minute and then an equaliser 3 minutes later. Despite the sides’ best efforts, it ended 3-3.
All in all, it wasn’t such a bad result for Los Ches, especially given that the club has had a turbulent few days with the departure of Marcelino and the arrival of Celades, as tensions grow between the fans and the board.
Athletic will be disappointed to not have continued their winning streak during the week, but they remain undefeated this season and their opening day winning over Barcelona will have given the squad a huge boost in confidence. San Mamés has always been an absolute fortress and it’s impossibly difficult for a visiting side to win here, hence Bilbao’s tremendous home form that has seen them win their last 5 games at home and are undefeated there since the start of January.
Getafe vs Barcelona
Coliseum Alfonso Perez
Saturday, 28-09-2019 @5pm
By their lofty standards, it’s been a slightly shaky start to the season for defending La Liga champions Barcelona. The absence of Lionel Messi in their first five games has certainly been a contributor & their star man made a welcome return to the side in their 2-1 win over Villarreal in midweek. Messi however, suffered another injury in that game and he was replaced at the start of the second half, throwing into question whether he’ll be available on Saturday.
The victory over the Yellow Submarine on Tuesday could have easily been a different story too. Although Barcelona missed a few good chances of their own, Villarreal were arguably unlucky not to get something out of the game after some poor finishing let them down. It was another reminder that Barcelona are yet to fully click into gear so far this term.
The Catalan giants have struggled on their travels so far this season too, they’re yet to win, and they’ve only scored two goals away from home in four matches.
They face a Getafe side who were the fifth best home side in the division last campaign and they only conceded 13 goals at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez stadium. They’ve started this season in solid fashion also and are now unbeaten in their last six matches.
The hosts made a winning return to the Europa League last week by beating Trabzonspor 1-0 and they showed no signs of fatigue when getting the better of Mallorca, winning 4-2. They played out a 3-3 thriller with Valencia on Wednesday so they’re having no issues in front of goal.
The last two meetings between the pair have gone Barcelona’s way but Getafe did manage a 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp prior to that in 2018. With Getafe’s solid home record over the last year or so, the value looks to be with backing them on the Double Chance market (Getafe or Draw).
The question mark over Messi’s participation, or whether he’ll even be fully fit if he does feature after his injury problems so far this season, enhances the possibility of Getafe getting something from the game.
Granada vs Leganes
Estadio Nuevo los Carmenes, Granada
Saturday, 28-09-2019 @7:30pm
It’s been a strong start to the season for Granada, they’ve managed a very respectable 11 points from their first six games. Leganes had a nightmare start to the campaign having lost their first four, however they have steadied the ship slightly with draws against Valencia and Athletic Bilbao in their last two matches.
The home side have won three of their last four which includes a 2-0 victory over reigning champions Barcelona, and all three of those victories were to nil. Last season saw them concede only 28 goals in La Liga 2 which was the fewest of the whole league.
That sturdy defence has clearly followed them into the top division too and considering Leganes have only scored three goals so far this season, another clean sheet could be on the horizon for the hosts.
Granada picked up 13 wins from 21 at home in the league last season and they only lost twice, they were beat by Sevilla in their first game at home back in the top division, but only narrowly by one goal to nil. The victory over Barcelona though will give them plenty of confidence that they can pick up a good deal of points this season on their own patch and with Leganes sitting at the bottom of the table, this looks like a great opportunity to gain all three on offer.
The away side generally struggled on their travels last season, they lost 11 of their 19 games and only scored 18 goals in the process.
Picking up two points in their last two games against tricky opponents will give them a boost, however they have failed to find the net in four of their seven games in all competitions this season. They may have turned a slight corner after breaking the run of defeats, but Granada certainly look the more solid side.
Visiting a Granada side who have scored 12 goals already this season and are strong at home, this looks a tough assignment for a Leganes team who are likely to be involved in a relegation scrap at the end of the season.
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid
Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid
Saturday, 28-09-2019 @10pm
League leaders Real Madrid will visit bitter city rivals Atlético Madrid on Saturday as Los Blancos aim to extend their one-point lead at the top of the table. Can Atleti stop and overtake them?
Atlético Madrid will host Real Madrid on Saturday night at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium as Los Colchoneros look to build on their most recent result- their 2-0 win over Mallorca on Wednesday. Cholo Simeone’s side was, as always, solid at the back and opened the scoring through Diego Costa in the 26th minute after the striker headed home an easy cross.
Atleti kept pushing for a 2nd goal for the rest of the half but found no luck in their end product. Mallorca gave the Madrid outfit a scare early on in the latter 45 minutes before João Félix’s deflected shot ended up in the back of the net to seal his sides’ win with just under 30 minutes to go.
Despite not giving off the impression that they’re league leaders, Real Madrid currently sits in 1st place after enjoying a positive start to the season.
Zidane’s men face a tough away trip to a high-flying Sevilla side last week, and Los Blancos came away with a narrow- but deserved- 1-0 win, with Karim Benzema’s goal 25 minutes from time separating the sides. The 13-time European champions then hosted a stubborn Osasuna side at the Santiago Bernaubéu, cruising past the Navarre side 2-0. Vinicius shone once again as the Brazilian teenager’s deflected shot opened the scoring 10 minutes from half-time. Debutant Rodrygo doubled Real’s lead with 15 minutes left, proving that the money the club paid for him is, so far, worth it.
With Barcelona struggling to find their feet so far in the league, this game is huge for both sides as it gives them a chance to pull away from the teams below them. Atlei’s home record has been near-perfect, as Simeone’s side has won 10 of their last 13 games at the Wanda Metropolitano. Funnily enough, it was Real Madrid who handed them their most recent defeat at their venue back in February.
Atleti have also kept a clean sheet in 8 of those 13 games, proving once again that they’re defensively solid. Zidane’s men also face their first tough task of the league campaign and it didn’t end too well when Los Blancos visited and lost 3-0 to PSG in their opening game of the Champions League. Real rarely fail to score away from home, regardless of the outcome and doing so in 7 of their last 8 away matches.
Espanyol vs Real Valladolid
RCDE Stadium, Barcelona
Sunday, 29-09-2019 @1pm
Details to follow
Eibar vs Celta Vigo
Estadio Municipal de Ipurua, Eibar
Sunday, 29-09-2019 @3pm
Details to follow
Deportivo Alaves vs Mallorca
Estadio de Mendizorozza, Vitoria-Gastiez
Sunday, 29-09-2019 @5pm
Details to follow
Levante vs Osasuna
Estadio Cuidad de Valencia, Valencia
Sunday, 29-09-2019 @7:30pm
Both sides head into the game having picked up 7 points from their first six games. All of Levante’s points have come from their home games, and their unbeaten home league run stretching back into last season, now stands at nine. Will the away side be able to end that run?
Osasuna were promoted to the top division as champions and they’ll probably be happy with the fact that they’ve lost just once to begin the campaign, that being a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid on Wednesday. Their next three games are tricky fixtures so they’ll be hoping they can leave the Estadi Ciutat de València with something.
The stats point towards this lacking goals. 5 of the last 6 meetings between the pair have seen under 2.5 goals and so this is our main selection for the game.
All but one of Osasuna’s six league games this season have seen under 2.5 goals also, that includes all three of their away games.
After two defeats away from home and a 0-0 draw with Eibar, Levante remain winless in September in the league, the same of which can be said for Osasuna.
Following their 3-1 defeat away at Real Betis midweek though, Levante will be happy to be back at home where they can be a tough nut to crack. 7 points from three home games so far this season is a good return and it’s tough to see the visitors breaking that unbeaten home league run they’re currently on.
Osasuna went unbeaten at home last season and they picked up 59 points, but on their travels they managed just 28 points.
Their compact 4-4-2 means they probably won’t be getting hit with too many thrashings this season, but especially away from home, the plan is likely to remain as playing on the counter and trying to nick something. That generally results in cagey games, and given the history of results between the pair, this could be one to lack much excitement in the goals department.
Sevilla vs Real Sociedad
Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Seville
Sunday, 29-09-2019 @10pm
Details to follow
