Levante vs Deportivo Alaves
Estadio Cuidad da Valencia, Valencia
Saturday, 18-01-2020 @3pm
Levante’s 3-1 victory over Celta Vigo on Matchday 18 was their third La Liga home win in four. Granotas have posted five wins, two draws and two defeats from their nine league games overall at Ciutat de Valencia this season. Alaves are without a win in five La Liga matches following their 1-1 draw against Real Betis at Mendizorroza on Matchday 19. The visitors travel to Valencia this weekend having lost seven of their nine away league games this term (W1, D1 and L7).
Levante ended 2019 in great nick following back to back La Liga wins against Granada (1-2) and Celta Vigo (3-1), and they were a shade unfortunate to kick-off the New Year with a 2-1 defeat against 3rd placed Atletico Madrid on Matchday 19.
Paco Lopez’ charges enjoyed the lion’s share of the ball and created numerous opportunities at Wanda Metropolitano; however, after Angel Correa and Felipe netted either side of Roger Marti’s fine strike for Levante during five frantic first half minutes, a superb performance from Jan Oblak ensured that it was Los Colchoneros who banked all three points.
Nonetheless, Levante should still be in good spirits heading into this Saturday’s clash with Alaves, and they have been in great form overall at Ciutat de Valencia this season. Granotas have accrued 17 points from their nine outings at home (W5, D2 and L2) and their aforementioned victory over Celta made it three wins from four in front of their own supporters.
Alaves began promisingly at home to Real Betis on Matchday 19 as Alex Vidal struck just 14 minutes in, but Asier Garitano’s side were eventually fortunate to escape with a 1-1 draw at full time after Los Verdiblancos went onto dominate proceedings.
Betis missed a penalty and a glut of decent opportunities to claim all three points at Mendizorroza, and confidence is clearly low in the Babazorros camp following a run of five La Liga matches without a victory.
Alaves were holding their own in mid-table earlier in the campaign thanks to some decent results at home, but they have now picked up just one win from their last five outings at Mendizorroza after notching ten points from their first five games.
That’s a major concern considering how dismally Garitano’s side have performed on their travels this season, and they head to Ciutat de Valencia this weekend having lost seven from nine on the road this term.
Babazorros are just five points clear of the relegation zone in 15th, and that gap could well be reduced come the end of Matchday 20, with Levante fancied to come out best here.
Real Madrid vs Sevilla
Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Saturday, 18-01-2020 @6pm
Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last 16 matches across all competitions (W11, D5). Los Blancos are also unbeaten at the Bernabeu this term (W7, D5). The hosts have won their last 12 matches against Sevilla at the Bernabeu, including a 2-0 success in last season’s corresponding fixture. 14 of Sevilla’s 19 La Liga games this season have produced fewer than 2.5 goals, including seven of their ten away matches, with the same applying to five of Real’s nine league outings at the Bernabeu.
After a trophyless 2018/19 campaign, Real Madrid bagged some much needed silverware in Saudi Arabia last weekend, winning through against cross-city rivals Atletico on penalties to lift their 11th Supercopa de Espana.
The newly formatted four team tournament was considered an unwelcome break to the La Liga season by many, particularly due to the Spanish Football Federation’s decision to take a jaunt to the Middle East, but celebrations following Sergio Ramos’ decisive spot kick proved the high level of importance placed on the occasion by Los Blancos, who emerged victorious despite being without the likes of Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale.
Supercopa success could well be the catalyst that sparks a fruitful campaign on all fronts for Zinedine Zidane’s side, who sit joint top of the La Liga standings alongside Barcelona, heading into this Saturday’s home clash against Sevilla.
Real have a tremendous record against Los Palanganas at the Bernabeu, winning the last 12 meetings between the teams, and it’s hard to back against them this weekend despite the absence of key players once again.
Los Blancos’ will be riding high after their Supercopa exploits, which extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 16 (W11, D5). Furthermore, Real have yet to be beaten at the Bernabeu this term, winning seven and drawing five of their 12 outings thus far.
Julen Lopetegui made several changes for his side’s bloodless 0-5 midweek victory art Escobedo in the Copa Del Rey, so Sevilla will largely have the advantage of a two week break going into this Saturday’s game in the capital.
Los Palanganas have improved massively this season after suffering 13 league defeats in 2018/19, and that’s largely attributed to a renewed confidence and greater consistency on the road, with six wins and two draws posted from their ten away matches so far.
Those stats need treating with a bit of caution though in the context of this weekend’s fixture, as all of Sevilla’s away wins have been secured against teams currently placed 10th or worse in the La Liga table.
Los Palanganas have enjoyed little success at the Bernabeu throughout their history, and they are under maximum pressure to turn that trend around this weekend if they are to stay in the title race. A mediocre haul of five points from their last four league games has left Lopetegui’s charges five points adrift of the leaders in 4th, so they realistically need at least a draw this Saturday to remain in with a squeak.
Osasuna vs Real Valladolid
Estadio El Sadar, Irunea
Saturday, 18-01-2020 @8:30pm
Osasuna have scored 16 goals in their nine home La Liga matches this season, netting twice or more in four of their last six fixtures at El Sadar. Valladolid have conceded 17 goals in their ten away La Liga matches this term, shipping twice or more in three of their last five outings on the road.
Saturday evening’s fixture at El Sadar is undoubtedly one of the trickier betting puzzles to solve in La Liga on Matchday 20, as both Osasuna and Valladolid have been struggling for results in recent weeks.
Osasuna in particular have hit upon a real barren spell by their standards, with just one league victory gained in six, which came against bottom side Espanyol (2-4) on December 1.
Los Rojillos are now without a win in four following a 1-1 draw at Celta Vigo last time out, and they go into this Saturday’s contest in search of their first win in four at El Sadar, following a draw against Sevilla (1-1) and defeats to Basque sides Athletic Bilbao (1-2) and Real Sociedad (3-4).
Those results have rather ruined Osasuna’s dancecard in Pamplona after they went unbeaten in their first six this term to bolster last season’s unbeaten record at El Sadar; however, Jagoba Arrasate’s men still rate as a pretty reliable proposition in attack in front of their own supporters.
Los Rojillos have averaged nearly two goals per game at El Sadar this season with 16 goals netted in nine matches, and they have bagged at least twice in four of their last six home outings.
Valladolid appear to be relatively comfortable in 14th with six points separating themselves from 18th placed Mallorca, but a relegation scrap could well be on the cards for Pucela if they’re unable to get their act together soon.
They began the campaign in solid fashion with just two defeats suffered from their first ten matches, but they have increasingly found victories difficult to attain, with a 3-0 home success against Mallorca in November being their only three point haul in their last nine outings.
With a record of one win, four draws and four defeats since the end of October, Sergio’s men cannot be fancied for victory this weekend against an Osasuna side who have lost just twice in nine matches at home. Furthermore, the visitors’ away record this season reads extremely poorly, with two wins, three draws and five defeats suffered from ten.
Pucela have leaked 17 goals on their travels and ten in their last four away games, so they are likely to find themselves exposed here against an Osasuna side who generally thrive up front on home soil.
Eibar vs Atletico Madrid
Estadio Municipal de Ipurua, Eibar
Saturday, 18-01-2020 @11pm
16 points separate 3rd placed Atletico Madrid and 16th placed Eibar heading into this Saturday’s game at Ipurua. Prior to last weekend’s penalty shoot-out defeat against Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final, Atleti had racked up a sequence of five consecutive victories in all competitions, including three straight wins in La Liga. Eibar have lost five of their last seven La Liga games, including four of their last six at home.
Atletico Madrid will reflect on a decent Supercopa de Espana effort overall after their 3-2 comeback victory against Barcelona in the semis and a 0-0 stalemate in last Sunday’s showpiece against Real Madrid; however penalty shoot-out misses from Saul Niguez and Thomas Partey ultimately meant it was Los Blancos who were celebrating the first silverware of the season over in Saudi Arabia.
Atleti return to La Liga action this Saturday night and they will be feeling relatively pleased with their current position after securing three consecutive league victories. Wins over Osasuna (2-0), Real Betis (1-2) and Levante (2-1) have put Diego Simeone’s side back in the title hunt following their 0-1 home defeat to Barca at the start of December, and they sit five points behind the Catalan giants and Real going into this Matchday 20 contest.
Los Colchoneros have been frustrated by too many draws on the road this term with five posted from nine outings, but they will be confident about putting that right here based on their recent form and the quality of opposition standing in their way.
Eibar didn’t play badly by any stretch of the imagination away to Valencia on Matchday 19, but Los Che largely deserved their 1-0 victory following Maxi Gomez’ powerful header midway through the first half.
The result condemned Eibar to their fifth La Liga defeat in seven outings, and Los Armeros look destined to be involved in a relegation scrap based on recent form, with just four points separating them from the bottom three.
Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men notched an impressive 3-0 success against Granada in their last fixture at Ipurua before Christmas, but that is their only win since the beginning of November and they have lost four of their last six at home.
They will struggle to prevent their home record from worsening this Saturday providing Atleti can bounce back from the Supercopa, and the fact that Eibar have won just one and lost 12 of 17 previous meetings between the sides hardly bodes well for the hosts.
Sunday, 19-01-2020
-Mallorca vs Valencia @2pm
-Betis vs Sociedad @4pm
-Villarreal vs Espanyol @6pm
-Bilbao vs Celta Vigo @8:30pm
-Barcelona vs Granada @11pm
