La Liga Matchday 22 Odds: Two Top-Half Matchups on the Cards
Barcelona Conceded Just Seven Goals Through 21 La Liga Matches!
Two Top-Half Matchups on the Cards
In one of the more ridiculous stats this season, Barcelona have only conceded seven goals through 21 La Liga matches. They’re starting to run away with the title and can win a seventh straight match on Sunday. Although Barça hold an eight-point lead, Real Madrid shouldn’t be counted out just yet. The recent Club World Cup winners take on Osasuna in an important match on Saturday. We’ll cover Barça, Real and more as we review the La Liga Matchday 22 odds.
Matches of the Week
Osasuna vs Real Madrid
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Osasuna are winless in their last four matches but are still in the top half of the La Liga point table. Now, they’ll take on a Real Madrid squad in good form heading into the match. Real got 4-0 a win over Elche on Tuesday after winning the Club World Cup on Saturday. Real have scored 13 goals in their last three matches, in all competitions. Vinicius Jr. is also returning from a suspension on Saturday, which boosts Real’s attack. As ½-goal favorites, Los Blancos come in at -130 ATS and moneyline odds.
Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last 15 La Liga games vs. Osasuna. However, three of the last six meetings have finished in draws. A draw shows a +270 price for Saturday’s match but Osasuna haven’t drawn any of their 10 home matches this season. In fact, they have La Liga’s sixth-best home record, at 6-4. Real are a solid 8-3 on the road but lost their last road match 1-0 to Mallorca. Osasuna are +110 underdogs to cover the spread and are priced at +370 odds to win their first game over Real since 2011.
Both teams have given up fewer than a goal per game this season and under 2½ goals sit at -115 odds. Notably, Thibaut Courtois missed the match vs. Elche on Tuesday with an undisclosed injury. Real’s goalkeeper could be back for Saturday’s match but Andriy Lunin will take his place again if not. Osasuna defender Juan Cruz is out with a suspension along with starting forward Ezequiel Avila. Avila will be incredibly difficult to replace, as he’s Osasuna’s leading scorer this season.
Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao
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Atletico Madrid are on a five-match unbeaten run and firmly in the top four heading into La Liga Matchday 22. They’ve conceded just three goals in the seven matches since the World Cup break ended. Los Colchoneros defeated Celta Vigo 1-0 on Sunday but Stefan Savic picked up a straight red card. The Atletico defender will miss the next three matches as a result, which includes Sunday’s clash vs. Athletic Bilbao. Bilbao have won their last two games after dropping their previous three matches. The visitors are ½-goal underdogs but do show -130 odds to cover the spread.
Bilbao lost the reverse fixture 1-0 but were previously unbeaten in their last four matches vs. Atletico. This has been an incredibly competitive fixture in the last few years and a draw sits at +215. Atletico, who have kept three shutouts in their last four games, are +110 ATS and moneyline favorites. They’ve looked more like a Diego Simeone team recently, with defensive grit and grinding out results.
Meanwhile, Athletic Club have conceded in their last five La Liga matches and over two goals comes in at -130 La Liga betting odds here. Oihan Sancet has been on fire in Bilbao’s recent matches, with four goals in the last two games alone. He’s Athletic’s leading scorer, with eight goals this season, and registered a hat trick a couple weeks ago vs. Cadiz. Defender Inigo Martinez and midfielder Ander Herrera are day-to-day for Bilbao but neither have played big minutes even when healthy.
Top Four Teams in Action
Real Sociedad vs Celta Vigo
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Real Sociedad bounced back from a road loss at Villarreal by defeating Espanyol 3-2 on Monday. They led by three goals 63 minutes in but nearly blew their lead. Even so, Sociedad are in third place in the league and only Barcelona and Atletico have gained more points in the last five matches. Sociedad forward Alexander Sorloth has been in great form recently. The Norwegian has scored five league goals since the World Cup break finished. Sorloth and Sociedad now host Celta Vigo in San Sebastian on Saturday. Real Sociedad show -130 ATS and moneyline La Liga Matchday 22 odds heading into the match.
Celta Vigo are in 13th place and have been incredibly inconsistent this season. They managed to defeat Real Betis 4-3 recently but have been shutout in three of their last four matches. Celta Vigo’s biggest goal threat is Iago Aspas, who is their all-time leading scorer. Aspas has scored nine goals already this season and only three players have scored more. With Aspas leading the line, Celta +½ displays +110 odds for Saturday’s match. Real Sociedad have won the last five meetings between these teams and Celta Vigo show +425 odds to buck the trend.
Celta have picked up points in just four of their ten road matches this season and they certainly could use the points here. They’re inching dangerously close to the relegation zone, just three points ahead of 18th-placed Valencia. A draw, which would be a good result for Celta, is priced at +245 odds. Meanwhile, over two goals comes in at -130 odds.
Barcelona vs Cadiz
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League leaders Barcelona are currently on a six-game La Liga winning streak. They take on Manchester United at the Camp Nou on Thursday before hosting Cadiz in La Liga on Sunday. With just two days of rest in between, Xavi may have to rotate his squad a fair bit. Expect Ronald Araujo to feature in Thursday’s match because he’s suspended for Sunday’s game vs. Cadiz. Eric Garcia could pair with Andreas Christensen in the center of defense on Sunday. Regardless of who’s played in defense, Barcelona have been excellent on that end. They’ve kept five clean sheets in their last six league matches and conceded just 0.3 goals per game this season.
Barcelona are two-goal favorites and are certainly expected to get their seventh straight La Liga win here. They are -120 favorites to cover the spread, according to the La Liga Matchday 22 odds. Barça are also -575 moneyline favorites but have weirdly struggled vs. Cadiz in recent seasons. Barcelona won the reverse fixture 4-0 but were winless in their previous four matches vs. Cadiz. Meanwhile, Cadiz recently moved out of the relegation zone but they’re certainly not in the clear yet. They’re in 16th place and safe by just two points currently.
Cadiz are a bit short in defense for this match as Pacha Espino is suspended and Joseba Zaldua is out longer term with a knee injury. That’s bad news for a side that’s conceded over 1.5 goals per game this season but they have measurably improved on that end recently. Cadiz +2 comes in at even odds while the visitors are priced at just +1500 moneyline odds. Over three goals display -120 odds but Barcelona have scored multiple goals in just two of their last seven matches. Two of the last four matches have finished in draws but a deadlock sits at long +650 odds for the match.
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