La Liga Matchday 37 Odds: Seven Teams Compete to Avoid the Drop
Relegation Fight Going Down to Wire

Seven Teams Compete to Avoid the Drop
With the La Liga Champions and three of the four Champions League teams already determined, attention turns to a tight relegation fight. Seven teams are all within five points of each other with just two games to go. Elche have already been relegated, and two of the seven will join them come season’s end.
Multiple matches this weekend involve two teams competing to avoid the drop. Those include Valencia vs. Espanyol, Cadiz vs. Celta Vigo, and Almeria vs. Valladolid. Also, Real Sociedad will look to seal the final UCL spot when they take on Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
We’ll look at some La Liga Matchday 37 odds from a crucial weekend.
Games of the Week
Valencia’s loss to Mallorca on Thursday means they’re still in the relegation scrap heap. Although, they are in a better position than most of the other seven contenders heading into the weekend. Valencia are on 40 points heading into the weekend, and their La Liga scores and odds have been favorable over the last few weeks.
They’ve won two of their last three matches and can most likely seal survival with a win vs. Espanyol on Sunday. Espanyol, on 35 points, are in 19th and could need two wins from their last two matches to stay in La Liga.
Heading into Sunday’s match hosts Valencia are ½-goal favorites and show +120 ATS and moneyline odds. Eray Comert and Yunus Musah are eligible to return from suspensions for this match for Valencia. Espanyol drew 3-3 vs. Atletico Madrid on Thursday and come in at -140 odds to cover the spread on Sunday.
Espanyol have poured in the goals over the last few weeks and scored at least twice in their previous four games. Valencia’s defense could have their hands full, but Espanyol still display just +230 odds to win. The previous two meetings between these teams have finished in draws.
A third straight stands at +240 odds, and just one point could be fatal for Espanyol. Meanwhile, under 2½ goals come in at -120, but the last six Espanyol matches have averaged well over four goals per game.
Cadiz and Celta Vigo are two more teams fighting off relegation. Hosts Cadiz are in 17th place, only outside of the relegation zone on goal difference. Meanwhile, 14th-placed Celta Vigo are just two points ahead of Cadiz and have won just one of their last ten games. Celta’s leading scorer Iago Aspas hasn’t found the net for two months, but he may need to come up big here.
This match is expected to be one of the most competitive of the weekend. The La Liga Matchday 37 odds price Cadiz as ever-so-slight +165 moneyline favorites.
Meanwhile, Celta show +170 odds to win on the road, and a draw displays +235 odds. Notably, Celta have lost just one of their last 11 matches vs. Cadiz and won the reverse fixture, 3-0. Aspas, who has dealt with some injuries lately, scored twice in that match.
In this pick’em, Cadiz are -115 favorites to cover the spread. Celta are just 4-4-10 away from home this season, and Celta Vigo pk shows -105 odds.
Two of the last four meetings have finished in draws, and a tie comes in at +235 odds here. No fewer than eight Cadiz players are dealing with injuries, but a few could return in time for the match. Meanwhile, Celta have kept just one clean sheet since the middle of March but under 2½ goals are priced at -125 odds here.
Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Barcelona are three of four La Liga teams participating in next season’s Champions League. That number could expand to five if Sevilla win next week’s Europa League final over Roma. Still, there’s one more spot up for grabs through league play, and Real Sociedad are in a position to clinch it.
Sociedad need Villarreal to draw or lose one of their last two matches. Or, Sociedad can take matters into their own hands and win one of the remaining games on their La Liga schedule. Sunday’s match at Atletico could be a difficult one, though.
Still, Real Sociedad have wins over both Barcelona and Real Madrid in the month of May. They’re ½-goal road underdogs for Sunday as the Txuri-Urdin and Atletico Madrid have -110 odds to cover the spread. Atletico’s ATS odds are the same as their moneyline odds as they go for their 23rd win of the season.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico have also scored over three goals per game over their last six matches. Saul Niguez and Yannick Carrasco have scored in consecutive matches. Here, over 2½ goals display -125 odds.
Real Sociedad have been one of the best road teams in the league this season but are +285 underdogs here. They’re also on a seven-game unbeaten run and have kept four clean sheets during that span. Only Atletico and Barcelona have conceded fewer times than Sociedad this season. The last time these teams met, it finished in a 1-1 draw. A second draw of the season sits at +260 odds.
Real Valladolid can escape the relegation zone with a win at Almeria on Sunday. After losing five straight games, Valladolid got a 3-1 win over La Liga champions Barcelona on Tuesday.
Still, they’ve gained just 11 points on the road this season. Almeria are just one point ahead of Valladolid, so this is also a crucial match for them. While Valladolid have struggled to pick up points recently, Almeria has won three of their last six matches.
The La Liga Matchday 37 odds price Almeria as +125 ATS and moneyline favorites for this one. Valladolid +½ shows -145 odds, and the visitors are also +210 underdogs.
They’ve won just one of their last eight road matches and have failed to score in two of their previous four games. Plus, key Valladolid defenders Joaquin and Jawad El Yamiq are listed as questionable for this match. While Valladolid could take a hit defensively, Almeria have conceded well over a goal per game this season.
Over 2½ goals sit at -140 odds for the match, and Almeria’s last four home matches have finished with three goals. In their previous four home games, Almeria are also 3-1.
Valladolid won the reverse fixture 1-0 as Shon Weissman scored a stoppage-time winner. Five of the last ten games between these teams have finished in draws. Another one is priced at +250 odds for Sunday’s match.