La Liga Preview: Barcelona to engulf Osasuna

Barcelona are on fire

Even if they wear their more traditional home kits, Barcelona should be too hot for Osasuna to handle at the Camp Nou, says Tobias Gourlay

Real Zaragoza v Espanyol
Saturday 19:00 (Live on Sky Sports 1)
Zaragoza 2.186/5 Espanyol 3.9n/a draw 3.412/5

Real Zaragoza have won their last four league meetings with Espanyol, say Opta, but they have been stretched recently by a cup run. Most recently, they lost 4-0 to Sevilla on Wednesday night. There were a few reserves in that team, but Manolo Jimenez's side have also lost their last three at La Romareda and 6/9 there this season.

Javier Aguirre was sacked by Zaragoza just over a year ago. If it's revenge he's after, his improving Espanyol team can satisfy his lust, even without suspended midfielder Verdu.

Set aside a derby defeat to Barcelona and Aguirre's men have scored ten times in five games and are unbeaten in six. With that weight of goals, the Parakeets have reason to be chirpy.

Recommended Bet
Back Espanyol 0 & +0.5 @ 2.111/10

Deportivo La Coruna v Valencia
Saturday 21:00 (Live on Sky Sports 1)
Deportivo 3.185/40 Valencia 2.526/4 draw 3.45n/a

Two new managers and one new owner. 

Deportivo's Domingos Paciencia is suffering from diminishing returns: a win from his first game, a draw in his second, and then defeat to Osasuna last time out. Now he goes up against a club that Depor haven't beaten in 13 league games.

Valencia's Ernesto Valverde was going well (W4/5) until Real Madrid came to town and belted five in 45 minutes. Now the parish council has staked its claim to Los Che.

With Valencia playing in the cup this week, the goals markets might be a smoother route to profit. This season's numbers say the game is more filler than thriller for Sky: 7/9 Depor home games and the same fraction of Valencia's away matches have stayed Under 2.5 Goals.

The bet gets better if Roberto Soldado is ruled out for the visitors. He's scored nine of their last 19 Liga goals and three of their last four against Depor. If he plays, he might rate a bet at odds-against prices To Score.

Recommended Bet
Back Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.855/6

Real Madrid v Getafe
Sunday 11:00 (Live on Sky Sports 2)
Real 1.162/13 Getafe 23.022/1 draw 10.09/1

Real Madrid, who played in the cup on Wednesday, might be thrown by the early kick-off.

Getafe are more used to the vicissitudes of TV schedules and should at least score at the Bernabeu: they have found the net in 9/10 on the road this season, while Real have leaked five times in their last two at home.

The problem for el Geta is that Real might well score four or more of their own: that's what the champions have done in 4/7 Liga home games. The visitors have conceded four on each of their last three trips to the Big Two, and recently let in three at Vallecano and four at Valencia.

If Real can defy the loss of Angel Di Maria and be as lethally accurate as they were in beating Valencia 5-0 a week ago, they will have no problem reaching the Any Unquoted stratosphere of the Correct Score market.

Recommended Bet
Back Both Teams to Score @ 2.01/1

Barcelona v Osasuna
Sunday 18:00 (Live on Sky Sports 1)
Barcelona 1.091/11 Osasuna 32.031/1 draw 16.015/1

A new problem for Tito Vilanova: how to bounce back from defeat?

Thursday's 4-1 cup win over Malaga suggests he has the answer. And Barca have won this fixture in seven of the last eight seasons, each win coming with a clean sheet.

Osasuna lost 8-0 at the Camp Nou last season - and 7-1 at the Bernabeu. Lessons learned? Maybe, but Barca have hit four or more in each of their last three home games and Any Unquoted appeals once more.

Recommended Bet
Back Any Unquoted Correct Score @ 2.26/5

Athletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid
Sunday 20:00 (Live on Sky Sports 1)
Athletic 3.39/4 Atletico 2.427/5 draw 3.45n/a

They are clear in second place, but Atletico Madrid have scored only five times in seven away games. And this weekend they are without Falcao. You will have heard he's quite important to them.

Diego Simeone's men coped without him on Thursday, drawing 1-1 at Betis in the cup, but, while they toiled, Athletic did not. And rest is quite important to Marcelo Bielsa's high-octane side. You could support the hosts - perhaps at 1.910/11 with a quarter-goal lead on the Asian Handicap - but recent home defeats make us wary and the price shows the market is well adjusted to Falcao's absence.

Better to concentrate on Under 2.5 Goals, maybe: 6/9 Liga games at San Mames have gone that way and so have 10/12 Atletico away matches in all competitions.

A First Goalscorer idea from Opta: Aritz Aduriz has scored 48 per cent of Athletic's goals this season, the highest proportion of anyone in La Liga. If this is to be a low-scorer, any goal he does score is more likely to be the first one. The Basque will go off around 7.06/1.

Recommended Bet
Back Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.875/6

Sevilla v Granada
Monday 20:30 (Live on Sky Sports Xtra)
Sevilla 1.454/9 Granada 9.5n/a draw 4.84/1

Another goals bet for the Monday night game. Five of Sevilla's last nine at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan have gone Over 2.5 Goals and so have six of Granada's most recent seven on the road. 

Recommended Bet
Back Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.855/6