Real Madrid will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s loss to Getafe with a win this Saturday at home against Valencia. We’ve included that matchup in our La Liga Matchweek 20 best bets along with this weekend’s Granada vs. Barcelona and Sevilla vs. Getafe games.
Granada vs. Barcelona
Despite being heavily shorthanded due to COVID-19 absences, Barcelona (8-7-4) still managed to take care of business last Sunday in a 1-0 win on the road over Mallorca. Barcelona has gone 4-2-1 over its last six matches and is now within two points of third place atop La Liga table. Granada (5-8-6) meanwhile extended its unbeaten streak to six games with a 0-0 tie on the road facing Elche, moving to 3-3-0 since November 26.
Barcelona’s impressive performance with only nine first-team starters available last weekend was a reminder of how much young talent this club has in the pipeline. For this Saturday’s matchup, we like the UNDER 2.75 goals. The previous meeting between these two teams ended in a 1-1 draw at Barcelona. Granada has allowed one goal or fewer in each of its last five matches, and both of these clubs should be comfortable in a tightly-contested and low-scoring game. Look for a 1-0 or 1-1 final score in this one.
Real Madrid vs. Valencia
Real Madrid (14-4-2) wrapped up 2021 with a 14-4-1 record and a 9-2-0 record over its last 11 games. The 2022 portion of the schedule got off to a disastrous start as Madrid was handed a stunning 1-0 loss on the road at the hands of Getafe. With a stretch of three straight home games starting against Valencia, Real Madrid has a golden opportunity to start up another winning streak this Saturday.
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Valencia (7-7-5) also had an undefeated streak snapped in its last match, losing 2-1 at home to Espanyol. Prior to that loss, Valencia had won each of its last three games and was 4-3-0 over its last seven games. We’re rolling with the OVER three goals in this matchup; each of Valencia’s last four games have produced at least three goals and four of the last five matches between these two clubs have featured three or more goals. Real Madrid’s offense should be fired up to bounce-back after being shutout last weekend and Valencia’s offense should be good for a goal or two as well.
Sevilla vs. Getafe
Thanks to Getafe’s upset over Real Madrid, Sevilla (12-5-2) was able to cut Madrid’s lead atop the league’s table down to five points with a game still in hand. Now Sevilla must avoid an upset against Getafe (4-6-9) of its own when the two teams meet this Sunday. Sevilla defeated Cadiz 1-0 on the road on Monday to improve to 4-1-0 over its last five matches.
It’s hard to believe this Getafe team once sat at the bottom of the table with an 0-0-7 start to the 2021-22 season. Getafe is 3-3-0 over its last six matches and has been playing some sensational defense with only one goal conceded over that six-game stretch. Sevilla is 7-2-0 at home and is too good to bet against, but laying -170 against a team playing as well as Getafe isn’t all that tempting either. We’ll stick with our focus on totals this weekend and play the UNDER 2 goals; both of these clubs play elite defense and a 0-0 or 1-0 final seems like the most likely outcome here.