Soccer 2022- La Liga Matchday Odds: Week 2

Madrid Clubs Kick Off Season in Style

Intra-city rivals, and title contenders Real Madrid/Atlético Madrid, both started the season off with a crucial three points. Matchday 1 of the La Liga season is now in the books and we’re looking ahead to Matchday 2. There weren’t too many eye-catching matchups in the first week of the season but that’ll change this weekend. In an action-packed second week, we’ll take a look at the La Liga Matchday odds.

Celta de Vigo vs Real Madrid

Celta Vigo took a two-goal lead in their season opener vs Espanyol and things swiftly went downhill. Celta conceded in the 72nd and 99th minutes and could only come away with a disappointing draw. The matches don’t get any easier as they host comeback kings Real Madrid on Saturday.

Real Madrid fell behind to newly promoted Almeria in their first match but mounted an impressive second-half comeback. Lucas Vasquez scored on a scramble in the box and David Alaba won the game on a rocket of a free kick. The La Liga Matchday odds price Los Blancos as -130 favorites to win on the road.

Last season, Real Madrid won both meetings and hasn’t lost to Celta Vigo in La Liga since 2014. So, it comes as no surprise that Iago Aspas and Celta come in as +320 underdogs. A draw, which last occurred in this fixture in 2020, is priced at +325.

Athletic Bilbao vs Valencia

Athletic Bilbao was perhaps unlucky not to defeat RCD Mallorca on Monday but wasn’t clinical with their chances. Their match finished 0-0 but at least Athletic Club came away with a clean sheet. The La Liga match schedule has them hosting Valencia, who defeated Girona 1-0 last weekend, on Sunday.

These teams played each other four times in all competitions last season and they were all competitive games. Valencia won in the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg but the rest of the meetings finished in draws. In fact, five of the last six fixtures have finished in draws and a draw is priced at +290 on Sunday.

Athletic Bilbao is -140 favorites and will hope to open up their scoring account this season sooner rather than later. Valencia, who last won at the San Mames in 2019, are +410 underdogs. The over/under goal total stands at 2½ but neither La Liga teams conceded last week.

Real Sociedad vs Barcelona

Barcelona couldn’t find a breakthrough in their season-opening match vs Rayo Vallecano. They played to a scoreless draw and now face a tricky road test vs Real Sociedad. Sociedad, who finished in sixth place last season, defeated Cadiz 1-0 on the road on Matchday 1.

Takefusa Kubo scored on his Real Sociedad debut and the young Japanese winger could prove to be a difference maker. Meanwhile, Barcelona was able to register all of their new signings against the odds. Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Franck Kessie all made their FCB debuts on Saturday but couldn’t mark it with a goal.

Barça, who are expected to be near the top of the La Liga standings 2022 are +105 favorites to get their first win. The fact that Sociedad is -125 favorites to cover the ½-goal spread as SU underdogs speak to how difficult it is to beat them at home. Barcelona did win both meetings last season but midfield engine Sergio Busquets is suspended for Sunday’s match.

Atletico Madrid vs Villarreal

This match is every bit as intriguing as Real Sociedad vs Barcelona. Atletico Madrid and Villarreal are two of Spain’s best clubs and this should be a fiery early-season La Liga matchup. After one week, Atleti and Villarreal currently occupy the top two places in the standings with big wins over Getafe and Valladolid, respectively.

The La Liga Matchday odds currently price Atletico as -115 home favorites for Sunday’s match. In Atletico’s win 3-0 over Getafe, Alvaro Morata scored a brace after spending the last two seasons on loan at Juventus. Antoine Griezmann also got on the scoresheet, which is certainly a welcome sight for manager Diego Simeone.

Villarreal were Champions League semifinalist’s last season and will certainly have more of a focus on La Liga in 2022-23. They managed to draw twice with Atleti last season but are winless in the last eight meetings. Villarreal comes in as +330 underdogs, while a draw sits at +260 odds.

Other Matches to Pay Attention to

Sevilla dropped their first match to Osasuna and can’t afford to drop early season points to mount another top-four challenge. Notably, Sevilla only lost once at home in 2021-22 and host Real Valladolid on Friday. Valladolid, owned by Ronaldo Nazario, lost their first La Liga match of the season 3-0 to Villarreal. Sevilla will be confident of getting their first win here and are -175 favorites to do so.

Girona and Getafe certainly aren’t household names but have quite an interesting odds board for their Monday match. Both teams are listed at +185 to win while a draw is priced at +200 in this indistinguishable pick’em. Both teams are looking for their first goal of the season after suffering shutout losses in Matchday 1. Girona has two talented forwards in Valentin Castellanos and Cristhian Stuani, while Getafe’s Enes Unal scored 16 goals in 2021-22.