La Liga Matchday 17 Odds: Madrid in Fifth Place in La Liga Standings

La Liga Schedule Shortened by Supercopa

Basque Derby Time

The biggest matches in Spanish soccer this weekend are without a doubt the Basque Derby on Saturday and the Supercopa de España final on Sunday. The Basque Derby has been contested for over 100 years between Real Sociedad and Athletic Club from Bilbao. Meanwhile, the second team in the Supercopa final is yet to be determined. Real Madrid defeated Valencia in penalties in the first semifinal and Barcelona take on Real Betis on Thursday in Saudi Arabia. Let’s take a look at three domestic matches and their accompanying La Liga Matchday 17 odds.

Matchday 16 Recap:

Ousmane Dembele sent Barcelona to the top of the table with a 22nd minute goal at Atletico Madrid. After Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss at Villarreal, Barcelona are now three points clear.

Neither team is in action in La Liga this weekend, though. Although Real Madrid and Barcelona garner a lot of attention, Real Sociedad and Villarreal have the longest active win streaks in the league.

Real Sociedad took down Almeria 2-0 last Sunday and are now comfortably in third place. Young winger Yeremy Pino and Gerard Moreno scored in Villarreal’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid.

The Yellow Submarine is now just one point outside of the top four. With their loss to Barcelona and a Real Betis win over Rayo Vallecano, Atletico Madrid are now in fifth place in the La Liga standings.

Games of the Week:

Celta Vigo vs Villarreal

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The first La Liga fixture of the weekend is listed as a pick’em. Villareal went unbeaten in this fixture last season with a draw and a win. They’ve also found a groove following manager Unai Emery’s departure to Aston Villa. Villarreal could very well get a fourth straight league win under Quique Setien.

The La Liga Matchday 17 odds imply that Villarreal are more likely to cover as a pick’em. They show -120 odds compared to even odds for a Celta Vigo side unbeaten in their last three La Liga matches. Iago Aspas’s fifth minute goal was enough to seal a win vs. Elche but Celta are just one point clear of the relegation zone.

A resurgent Villarreal sit at +160 odds to win on the road. Meanwhile, Celta Vigo come in at +180 odds to get consecutive wins for the first time since September. Aspas has put together another fine season, as the striker has scored eight goals so far.

‘The last time these teams met in Vigo it ended in a 1-1 draw. Another deadlock shows +230 odds here.’

Villarreal enter this match on a six-game winning streak in all competitions. They haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last four matches in all competitions, though.

In each of those four matches, three or more goals have been scored. Regardless, under 2½ goals displays -130 odds for this match. Plus, Alejandro Baena and Raul Albiol are both suspended for Villarreal.

RSO Real Sociedad vs Athletic Bilbao ATH

Date, Time & Streaming:

Athletic Club enter this match on a three-match unbeaten run in the Basque Derby. Plus, the last two matches at Sociedad have finished in 1-1 draws.

A draw sits at +220 odds for this one in another pick’em. Real Sociedad came out firing in the second half vs. Almeria last Sunday. David Silva and Alexander Sorloth put the Txuri-Urdin up 2-0 within ten minutes of the start of the half.

Home side Sociedad show -140 odds to cover and +145 odds to win vs. Bilbao. If they’re able to get their seventh straight win in all competitions, they’ll be just three points behind second place Real Madrid in the La Liga table.

The last time these teams met, Athletic Bilbao destroyed Real Sociedad. They managed a 4-0 win, which was the biggest margin of victory in the Basque Derby since 1995.

This time, Bilbao are +120 underdogs to cover and +205 underdogs to win the match. With how well Sociedad have been playing recently, it certainly seems to make sense. Plus, Bilbao haven’t won at the Estadio Anoeta since 2017.

Two Real Sociedad players are currently top-ten scorers in La Liga. Brais Mendez leads the team, with seven goals. Meanwhile, Alexander Sorloth has added six of his own. Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino also leads the league, with seven assists.

Rarely has the Basque Derby been so consequential in recent times. Both times are firmly in the running for Champions League places and Athletic Club could enter the top four with a win. The La Liga Matchday 17 odds price over two goals at -130 odds in what should be a fiery and entertaining match.

ALM Almeria vs Atletico Madrid ATM

Date, Time & Streaming:

Atletico Madrid have lost three of their last five matches in La Liga and now Joao Felix has gone out on loan to Chelsea. It’s up to Diego Simeone to rally his troops as they certainly could use all three points vs. struggling Almeria.

Atletico’s home form has been quite concerning as they’ve only managed to win three of their eight matches there. However, they’re on the road vs. Almeria on Sunday, where they’re 5-1-2 this season. Atletico Madrid show -140 odds to win and to cover the ½-goal spread.

Almeria haven’t been an easy team to beat at home this season, though. The La Liga new boys are 5-3 at home and an abysmal 0-2-6 on the road.

‘Almeria did, however, lose 2-0 to Real Sociedad at home last weekend. Now, they come in at +120 odds to cover the spread and just +395 odds to win. This is the first matchup between these teams since 2015, which Atletico won 3-0. The last draw in this fixture was in 2011, and another can be found at +285 odds.’

Stefan Savic is out due to a suspension for Atletico, which should weaken their back line. Still, they’ve conceded just three goals in their last four La Liga matches.

Meanwhile, Almeria have scored just twice in their last four league games. Their leading scorer, El Bilal Toure, has just three goals so far this season. With Felix gone for at least the rest of the season for Atletico, they may have to figure some things out on offense.

Alvaro Morata and Angel Correa figure to get more opportunities now. With offensive uncertainty on both sides, under 2½ goals sits at -115 odds for this match 2023 la liga games.
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