Seven weeks remain in the La Liga schedule for 2018-19, and Barcelona looks set for the title, 11 points ahead of Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid is two points behind Atletico and would love to catch their in-city rivals. After that comes a significant dropoff as Getafe CF sits in fourth place, ten behind Real. Down at the bottom of the table, Villarreal and Valladolid both have 30 points and are right on the edge of relegation — but they are just four points out of Girona, who sits four slots ahead of them, so the real drama down the stretch may involve which teams stay in Spain’s top league. Check out our sports betting picks for this weekend’s action.
La Liga Top Betting Odds, Picks and Predictions for the Weekend
It’s derby weekend in #LaLigaSantander! ❤️ #ElGranDerbi #ValenciaLevante ❤️ #RealSociedadEibar ❤️ #LeganesRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/reQ9SvLXyE
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) April 12, 2019
Saturday, April 13
Barcelona at Huesca (10:15am ET)
Huesca drew on the road against Levante last Sunday, holding on for a 2-2 tie. Levante opened the scoring when Roger Marti scored in the 19th minute. A flurry of scoring came within seven minutes during the second half, as Enric Gallego drew Huesca level in the 63rd minute. Then Jose Luis Morales Nogales converted a penalty two minutes later…and Ezequiel Avila brought Huesca another equalizer in the 69th minute. Huesca led in shots, 17-14, but Levante led in shots on target, 8-4.
Now Huesca will host Barcelona, who defeated Atletico Madrid, 2-0, last Saturday. The match was scoreless well into the second half, but then Luis Suarez opened the scoring in the 85h minute, and Lionel Messi added an insurance tally one minute later. Atletico was playing a man short after Diego Costa was shown a red card in the 28th minute. Barcelona dominated the shooting, 21-9 (10-2 on target) and possessed for almost two-thirds of the game, completing passes at a 90 percent clip. Will Barcelona take Huesca seriously? We still have seven weeks to go, so I see Barcelona showing up at home.
Final Score Prediction: Barcelona 3, Huesca 0
Celta Vigo at Atletico Madrid (12:30pm ET)
Celta Vigo hosted Real Sociedad last Sunday and won running away, 3-1. The visitors took an early lead when Willian Jose converted a penalty in the 32nd minute. In the second half, Iago Aspas put up a brace, converting a penalty in the 51st minute and then scored again in the 70th minute. Jose took a red card in the 58th minute, which contributed to Celta Vigo’s breakout offensively. Maximiliano Gomez Gonzalez added insult to injury with a goal in extra time in the second half to deliver the final score.
Atletico Madrid will be ready to take out some frustrations after losing to Barcelona last week, particularly with Real Madrid breathing down their necks in the table. While Celta Vigo has some offensive talent, they don’t have the same level of skill as Atletico.
Final Score Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2, Celta Vigo 0
Sunday, April 14
Villarreal at Girona (12:30pm ET)
Villarreal has a real opportunity to make up ground in their fight to avoid relegation when they head to Girona on Sunday. Villarreal took a 2-1 loss at Real Betis last year. Real Betis took an early lead when Giovani Lo Celso scored in the 11th minute, but Ramiro Funes Mori drew the match level with a goal two minutes later. Lo Celso completed his brace in the 63rd minute to complete the scoring. REal Betis outshot Villarreal 17-10 (7-4 on target) and possessed for 57 percent of the match.
Girona lost at home to Espanyol last week, 2-1 despite getting the equalizer in the 80th minute from Cristhian Stuani, who converted a penalty in the 80th minute. Girona then coughed up an own goal in the 89th minute to hand the outcome to the visitors. Can Girona hold off Villarreal at home and move further away from relegation? Or will Villarreal push harder with their backs against the wall and deliver a win?
Final Score Prediction: Villarreal 2, Girona 1
