Round 17 in Spanish La Liga will be a shortened one, due to the absence of several teams, among them Real and Barca. The reason for all this is the Super Cup held in Saudi Arabia.
Despite what many believe, there are still enough games for us to make a quality preview for the fans and give them a couple of solid picks, with high value. In the next few lines, we are going to deliver previews with odds and picks.
Celta Vigo VS Villarreal
This is the clash between the team that is battling for its life in La Liga, which is Celta and the unit whose mission is to be in the Champions League next season. The team from Vigo plays solid since the World Cup pause ended. They beat Gernika in Copa del Rey before losing to Espanyol in the previous CDR round, following overtime. In two La Liga wins, Celta collected four points, playing 1-1 at home against Sevilla and beating Elche in the most recent event. The Sky Blues have been without a win in Vigo since early October.
Villarreal’s form is on the rise, and the Yellow Submarine does its job perfectly for the moment. They have six wins in the last six competitive games, among others stopping Real the previous weekend, 2-1. It was a wonderful performance by the hosts and the former European League champ. The past four of their games saw both teams score over 2.5 hits, and the Submarine scored at least twice in each.
We will take Villarreal here, due to a massive swing that pushes them here. Their game is nearing perfection and against a lousy host like Celta, we need to take our chances.
Pick: Villarreal 15/10 at BetXchange
Almeria VS Atletico Madrid
Almeria’s comeback from the pause isn’t looking good. Following a draw on the road in Cadiz, they were defeated at home to Sociedad, 1-2. It was their third loss at home since the campaign began, but on the other hand, Almeria has five victories, and a 13-10 goal difference.
Atletico was furious in the opening three events after the World Cup beating Arenteiro and Oviedo in the CDR, and beating Elche at home, 2-0 in La Liga. This boosted the morale before the derby against Barcelona, but that event saw them losing 0-1, and deflating. Additionally, Joao Felix went to Chelsea, and the board admitted a massive mistake with the Portuguese player.
We are going with both teams to score here, because these two teams play well when in these circumstances – Almeria at home and Atletico on the road.
Pick: Both teams to score 9/10 at BetXchange
Real Sociedad VS Athletic Bilbao
The hosts are in the UCL zone, while Bilbao wants to reach that status. Real is third in the league, and has six points more than the guests, who need to win in this one. Sociedads’ football is impeccable following a World Cup, with them winning in all four events, two in CDR and two in LA Liga, not allowing a single goal, while scoring 10 on the other end.
Bilbao is without a loss after the tournament in Qatar, but their wins were in the CDR, while La Liga games this unit played saw draws. Three of those four games, (both La Liga ones) were with under 2.5 goals and with just one side netting.
That’s why we expect to see another low-efficient event in San Sebastian. Bilbao will be cautious, despite needing to win. Real too, will have a conservative approach, and all that should decrease the efficiency.
