Matchday One of the 2021/22 Spanish La Liga has come and gone, with five of the matches ending in stalemates and only Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid picking up wins in the division.
With Matchday Two around the corner, here is our preview of the games across Spain’s top flight.
Real Betis vs Cadiz: Both sides were involved in 1-1 draws on Matchday One, with Betis drawing away to Mallorca and Cadiz drawing at home to Levante.
They would both be looking to kickstart their campaigns by picking up the necessary points early enough. This match clearly favours the home side as they have been given 1.54 odds of winning. Cadiz was given 6.25 odds of winning and a draw has been set at 3.85 odds.
Alaves vs Mallorca: Fresh from a humbling defeat to Real Madrid, Alaves will try to pick up a win against newly-promoted Mallorca. Mallorca were in a credible draw against Real Betis last time out and cannot be written off following the performance they put in on the opening day.
Alaves remain the favourites to claim all three points from the match due to their superior top-flight experience and quality. Alaves has been given 2.25 odds of winning, and a draw has been pegged at 3.10 odds. Mallorca has got 3.30 odds to win the match.
Espanyol vs Villarreal: Fresh from a goalless draw away to Osasuna, newly-promoted Espanyol will be looking to cause the first surprise of the season when they host Europa League champions Villarreal.
Villarreal were held to a goalless draw of their own by Granada, but should possess the necessary firepower to defeat Espanyol. The Yellow Submarines are favourites for this one. The underdog, Espanyol, has been given 2.95 odds of picking up a win and 3.30 odds of emerging with a draw. A Villarreal win has been set at 2.35 odds.
Granada vs Valencia: Valencia will look to make it two wins from two when they pay a visit to Granada on matchday two of the La Liga. They were one of only five sides to win on the opening matchday.
Granada drew their match against Villarreal, but Valencia should be able to get the job done against them. A win for Granada has been fixed at 2.50 odds, with a draw between the sides set at 3.20 odds and a Valencia win set at 2.80 odds.
Athletic Club vs Barcelona: Barcelona will face another Basque club in Athletic Bilbao after facing Real Sociedad on the opening day of the season.
The Blaugrana showed no signs of the absence of Messi on matchday one, and more of that is expected on matchday two against an Athletic Bilbao side that could only pick up one point against Elche in their opener. Barcelona are firm favourites for the game judging by their 1.86 odds of winning. Athletic Bilbao was given 4.05 odds of winning and a draw was set at 3.50 odds.
Real Sociedad vs Rayo Vallecano: After opening day defeats, both Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano will be looking to pick up their first points of the season on matchday two when they local horns. The home side are favourites, with their firepower possibly going to be too much for the newly-promoted Rayo Vallecano to cope with. The home side are favourites to emerge victorious, and have been given 1.44 odds. A draw has been set at 4.30 odds, and a Rayo win has been set at 7.25 odds.
Atletico Madrid vs Elche: The champions won a bad tempered opening day match against Celta Vigo 2-1 to pick up all the available points in their opener. They will look to hand Elche a defeat after Elche picked up a draw against Athletic Bilbao on the opening day. The champions possess the quality to easily put the game beyond Elche, and that is expected to be the outcome of the match. Atletico Madrid are firm favourites and have been given 1.20 odds of picking up a win. Their opponents have been given a massive 17.00 odds, and a draw has been pegged at 6.25 odds.
Levante vs Real Madrid: Real Madrid showed why they are still among the favourites to pick up the La Liga crown at the end of the season with a dominant performance. Their opponents laboured to a draw in their own match, and Real Madrid knows that they can pick up a win away from home, and that is what they will be looking to achieve. The underdogs, Levante, have been given 5.00 odds of picking up a win and 4.15 odds of getting a draw. A Real Madrid win has been set at 1.60 odds.
Getafe vs Sevilla: Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui was full of praise following his team’s performance on the opening day against Rayo Vallecano. Sevilla, however, are aware that their opponents are at a higher level than newly-promoted Rayo Vallecano. Getafe was at the end of a 1-0 defeat to Valencia on the opening day. Sevilla are favourites for this one due to their performance in their first game of the season. Getafe has been given 3.40 odds of winning the game, with a draw being set at 3.05 odds and a Sevilla win at 2.25 odds.
Osasuna vs Celta Vigo: While Osasuna drew against Espanyol, Celta Vigo was at the receiving end of a beating from the league’s leaders on the opening day, and will be looking to pick up all three points on offer against Osasuna. A win for Osasuna has been set at 2.55 odds, and a draw has been set at 3.10 odds. A Celta Vigo win was set at 2.80 odds.
