La Liga Matchday 18 Odds & Games Analysis

Rough Patch for Real Madrid

While it has no bearing on the La Liga standings, Barcelona won the Supercopa de España 3-1 over Real Madrid on Sunday. Still, La Liga leaders Barcelona have a ton of momentum heading into the weekend. Meanwhile, Real Madrid have gone three matches in all competitions without a 90-minute win. They’ll need to bounce back on Sunday when they head to Bilbao to take on Athletic Club.

We’ll review Barcelona and Real Madrid’s La Liga Matchday 18 odds, along with streaking clubs like Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Girona.

Games of the Week

Is a Draw the $$ Pick?

Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, overshadowed by both Real and Atletico Madrid, continue to defy expectations. Andoni Iraola’s side is just two points outside of the top four as things stand. They’re coming off a 1-0 win at Valladolid last Saturday off of an Isi Palazon goal.

Now, they’re looking for their fifth home win of the La Liga season vs a red hot Real Sociedad on Saturday. Real Sociedad, who are on a four-match winning streak, are ½-goal favorites heading into the match. They sit at +130 ATS and moneyline odds and Alexander Sorloth has scored in Sociedad’s last four matches.

Sorloth, Mikel Oyarzabal and Takefusa were all on the scoresheet in the 3-1 Basque Derby win over Athletic Bilbao. Sociedad have an excellent opportunity to get their seventh road victory of the season here.

‘Rayo show -150 odds to cover the spread and +230 odds to win, though.’

A draw, which has occurred in three of the last four meetings, comes in at +225 odds. It’s also worth noting that Real Sociedad are unbeaten in the last seven matchups between these La Liga teams.

Sociedad have conceded one goal or fewer in each of their last five La Liga matches and they haven’t lost since October. Meanwhile, Rayo have just one loss in their last nine matches and have only lost twice at home this season.

Expect a Tight One

In one of the most intriguing La Liga games this week, Villarreal take on Girona. Both teams have been excellent lately. Villarreal have won three of their last four and Girona are unbeaten in their last seven La Liga matches. Villarreal are just a couple weeks removed from defeating Real Madrid and can hang with anyone.

Girona completed a second half comeback to defeat a struggling Sevilla 2-1 on Saturday. Home side Villarreal are ½-goal favorites for this one and are priced at -135 ATS and moneyline odds.

Cristhian Stuani scored Girona’s first goal on Saturday and the Uruguayan ranks third in La Liga with 0.83 goals per 90 minutes. His Girona are +115 underdogs to cover the spread this Sunday and display just +370 odds to win the match.

Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia has also been one of the best players in the league this season. These teams have only met four times in the last ten years in La Liga and the road team has won all of those matches. Even so, Girona only have one win in eight away games this season. Meanwhile, Villarreal are 5-1-1 at home and a draw is listed at +280 odds.

Midfielder Dani Parejo and winger Alex Baena are two players to watch for Villarreal in this one. Parejo plays at the base of midfield and is a precise passer. Baena has scored four goals this season, beating his xG number of 1.5 by 2.5 goals.

Barcelona Looking for 9 Consecutive

Barcelona are unbeaten in their last eight La Liga matches and an incredibly popular pick for betting on La Liga. The Catalan club got the better of Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España final on Sunday. Youngsters Pedri and Gavi both scored, along with La Liga leading scorer Robert Lewandowski.

Lewandowski will serve the second match of a three-game suspension vs. Getafe, though. Ferran Torres is also suspended for Barcelona, which makes their forward line relatively thin. Regardless, Barcelona enter Sunday as two-goal favorites. Barça sit at -105 odds to cover and -600 to win and have won the last four meetings at the Camp Nou.

‘Getafe, who have lost their last two matches, are -115 favorites to cover the spread but are +1600 underdogs to win the match.’

They’ve been decent on the road this season, avoiding defeat in four of their eight matches. Getafe are just one point outside of the relegation zone, though. They last got a point at the Camp Nou in 2018 and a rare draw in this fixture displays +600 odds.

With Ferran Torres and Lewandowski out, expect Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha to have a part to play here. Memphis Depay is also in the running to start up top. Since a scoreless draw in their first match of the season, Barça have scored in fifteen straight La Liga games.

They’re currently averaging over two goals per game at home but under three goals sits at -130 odds for this match. Enes Unal is Getafe’s danger man, with five goals and three assists so far this season.

This is a big match for both teams as they need to bounce back from losses. It’s also a historic rivalry, called El Viejo Clásico. Athletic Bilbao were outclassed in the Basque Derby and are now eighth in the table.

Real Madrid lost to Barcelona Sunday and also lost their last La Liga match to Villarreal, 2-1. Los Blancos have only won two of their last five La Liga matches and are now three points behind Barcelona in La Liga.

‘The La Liga Matchday 18 odds imply this will be a highly competitive match, as it is listed as a pick’em. Real come in at -130 odds to cover and Bilbao show a +130 price. Home side Bilbao’s moneyline is +180, Real sit at +140 odds to win and bettors can take a draw at +255 odds.’

Both teams play in the Copa del Rey round of 16 midweek and Real may be at a slight disadvantage. That’s because they take on Villarreal on Thursday and Bilbao’s match vs. Espanyol is on Wednesday.

Bilbao head into Sunday with a 5-2-2 home record. Only three teams have gained more points than them at home this season. However, they are winless in their last three La Liga matches overall. Real have been excellent on the road this season, with a 7-2 record away from the Santiago Bernabeu.

With injuries to David Alaba and Aurélien Tchouaméni, Real could be slightly shorthanded, though. Also, Athletic haven’t defeated Real Madrid in a La Liga match at the San Mames since 2015.

This has been a low scoring match recently, with four of the last five matches finishing with two or fewer goals, in all competitions. Here, over 2½ shows -115 odds, though.

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