It’s been a strange year so far in La Liga action. The league that has been dominated by Barcelona and Real Madrid for almost two decades shows neither team at the top of the table headed into the second international break. Instead, Sevilla are currently atop La Liga. Sevilla haven’t won a league title since just after World War II, and their fans are euphoric to see their club at the top of La Liga. Oddsmakers are betting on that not to last though, as the current leaders are 35-1 to win the title per the La Liga Futures Odds.
Spanish La Liga Betting at BookMaker.eu
FC Barcelona -155
Real Madrid +285
Atletico Madrid +500
Sevilla +3500
Valencia +15000
Field +5500
Barcelona
It’s somewhat laughable to see Barcelona as the odds-on favorite to win La Liga even though they are in second place when we are more than 20 percent of the way through the season. As winners of seven of the last ten La Liga titles, they are being given the benefit of the doubt and that’s probably the smart thing to do considering their history.
The Blaugrana got off to a strong start this season, and it looked like they would coast to the title. They won each of their first four matches, and most of the victories were pretty comfortable wins. However, they have lost their form in domestic play over the last few weeks. Barca have been unable to get a win in each of their last four matches, and they have not played the cream of the crop. They even suffered a somewhat humiliating defeat on the road against Leganes two weeks ago.
Champions League play may be the reason for the slow start in domestic action. Barcelona have continually fell short in Europe’s top competition, so the team seems more focused in those matches than they do when they are at home. It will be interesting to see how the club responds after the international break as 11 of their players have been called up to represent their country.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s troubles are a little more alarming. Like Barcelona, they started the season playing well and affirmed their position as co-favorites to win La Liga. However, a stunning 3-0 loss on the road to Sevilla and a 1-0 loss to Alaves has the club searching for answers.
With so much offensive firepower, Real Madrid were not expected to miss Cristiano Ronaldo too much. After only scoring 12 goals in eight matches, some fans are second-guessing the decision to sell him now.
Let’s be honest though. Real Madrid are going to recover. They have been hit somewhat hard by injuries with outside backs Dani Carvajal and Marcelo missing multiple matches due to injury, while Isco has been sidelined for the last few weeks after his appendix burst. Niggling injuries to Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale have hurt their attack as well.
Atletico Madrid
This club continues to be the most defensively sound in Spain. With Jan Oblak in net, Atletico have conceded only four goals this season. That kind of defense can make any team a contender, but the offense has continued to fluster.
Continuing to pair Antoine Griezmann with Diego Costa was supposed to create more goal scoring opportunities for Atletico Madrid this season, but the offense continues to hold the team back with only nine goals thus far. Their hopes of winning the league depend on putting more balls in the back of the net.
Sevilla
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for Sevilla. The club nearly missed out on European play after finishing seventh in La Liga last season, and their defensive collapses over the second half of the year were puzzling. That led them to finish the year with a -9 goal differential, and there were plenty of questions coming into the year.
Some of those questions have been answered, while others remain. Sevilla were able to beat Real Madrid 3-0 at home a couple weeks ago, but losses to Real Betis and Getafe, the latter at home, mean that it’s going to take some time for people to believe in Sevilla. They can make a big statement after the international break if they go into Camp Nou and get a result against Barcelona.
Spanish La Liga Odds
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
