The international break could have not come at an appointed time than last weekend for most top Spanish clubs. The last time the Spanish La Liga was on, the big guns seemed to be firing blanks in the soccer betting odds. Barcelona lost to Sevilla while the Madrid derby ended in a 1-1 draw. Villarreal had a chance of widening their lead atop the league, but failed to do so after falling 1-0 to the relegation-threatened Levante. La Liga surprise team in 2015, Celta de Vigo continued their unbeaten run with a 0-0 draw at home to Getafe, though they’d have easily won the game, going by their missed chances.
Venue: Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2015
Time: 10:00 AM ET
The all-powerful Real Madrid face an inconsistent Levante team in week 8 of La Liga. Before the international break, Madrid had drawn the last two games, the latest being the Madrid derby. They are currently unbeaten in the League this season and sit second on the table. Carvajal, Danilo and James Rodriguez will miss this encounter, and Karim Benzema is a doubt after picking a hamstring injury on international duties.
Levante have only gathered six points from seven matches this season, but managed a win in their last fixture against ten-men Villarreal that saw them move to 18th place. Angel Trujillo and Iván López will be out due to injury.
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2015
Time: 2:30 PM ET
The current Spanish and European champions will be hosting the 15th-placed Rayo Vallecano. Two loses in their last three games have exposed the weakness of Luis Enrique’s side and their soft underbelly when they are without the injured Lionel Messi. The Catalans have conceded eight goals in their last three games, and with Rafinha, Messi, Iniesta and Vermaelen all out due to injury, Barca will need a lot of discipline to avoid another upset.
Rayo Vallecano are also in a period where things are not going as they would have wished for. Most recently, they have lost two games out of their last three games. Their home defeat to Real Betis before the international break ensured they have now lost four out of seven. David Cobeno and Pablo Hernandez are both doubtful for this encounter as they are both recovering from injuries.
Venue: El Madrigal, Villarreal – Spain
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2015
Time: 6:00 AM ET
Both Villarreal and Celta Vigo seem to have defied their perceived underdog status in the La Liga soccer betting odds, rising above expectations to rank among the best in the league now.
The home team, Villarreal, will be looking to keep their hold onto the top-spot in La Liga, while the visitors will want to protect their unbeaten run in the league this season. After the Submarino Amarillo suffered a shock defeat to Levante, a game that also ended with a red card to Bojan Jokic, this will be a perfect opportunity for them to right the ship. They have won their last two encounters against Celta de Vigo and will be hoping to make it three out of three. Their injury list includes Suarez, Asenjo, Bakambu and Musacchio, while Jokic will remain out due to the red card.
After beating Barcelona, Celta de Vigo have not won any game despite staying unbeaten. Augusto Fernandez, Dejan Drazic and Andreu Fontas are all on the Celta injury list and could miss this clash.
Venue: Estadio Anoeta
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2015
Time: 10:00 AM ET
Real Sociedad will be grateful for the international break after their last fixture ended in a 1-3 thrashing in the hands of relegation-threatened Malaga. The break is expected to have given them time to rethink their ways of approaching the league fixtures, especially against a tough nut to crack such as Atletico Madrid this weekend.
The visitors are also coming into this hoping to get back to winning ways, after the Madrid derby ended in a draw. They have not been in the best form this campaign, leaving them fifth on the table with 13 points from seven games. This will be a chance for them to climb up the charts.
VÍDEO: http://t.co/uCAezLNlB5 Disfruta con los 48 goles que marcó @Cristiano en la pasada Liga #CRGoldenShoe pic.twitter.com/bcUYr0Cnpe
— Real Madrid C. F. (@realmadrid) October 14, 2015
After two weeks of international break, it’s now time to get back to business, hopefully with the top teams playing better. As we prepare for the return of the La Liga soccer action, here are a couple of big Week 8 games to watch out for.
Real Madrid vs. Levante
Venue: Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2015
Time: 10:00 AM ET
The all-powerful Real Madrid face an inconsistent Levante team in week 8 of La Liga. Before the international break, Madrid had drawn the last two games, the latest being the Madrid derby. They are currently unbeaten in the League this season and sit second on the table. Carvajal, Danilo and James Rodriguez will miss this encounter, and Karim Benzema is a doubt after picking a hamstring injury on international duties.
Levante have only gathered six points from seven matches this season, but managed a win in their last fixture against ten-men Villarreal that saw them move to 18th place. Angel Trujillo and Iván López will be out due to injury.
Key Betting Trends
• Real Madrid is 5-0 against Levante • Real Madrid is 3-0-2 this season • Real Madrid is without a Loss this season • The total has gone UNDER for 5 of Real Madrid’s 10 games • Levante 1-2-3 in their last six • Levante are 0-3 in their last 3 visits to Real Madrid. • The total has gone UNDER for 6 of Levante’s last 10 games. Prediction: The only thing that is in favor of the visitors is the fact that most of Madrid’s players are from international duties and could be tired. Despite all that, Madrid is in a good form and this game is likely to end in a thrashing in favor of the visitors. Soccer Picks: Real Madrid keeps a clean sheet, beating Levante by at least 3 goals.Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2015
Time: 2:30 PM ET
The current Spanish and European champions will be hosting the 15th-placed Rayo Vallecano. Two loses in their last three games have exposed the weakness of Luis Enrique’s side and their soft underbelly when they are without the injured Lionel Messi. The Catalans have conceded eight goals in their last three games, and with Rafinha, Messi, Iniesta and Vermaelen all out due to injury, Barca will need a lot of discipline to avoid another upset.
Rayo Vallecano are also in a period where things are not going as they would have wished for. Most recently, they have lost two games out of their last three games. Their home defeat to Real Betis before the international break ensured they have now lost four out of seven. David Cobeno and Pablo Hernandez are both doubtful for this encounter as they are both recovering from injuries.
Key Betting Trends
• Barcelona are 3-0 against Rayo Vallecano • Barcelona are 6-2-2 at home in the last 10 games • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Barcelona’s 10 games • Rayo Vallecano are 1-0-2 on the road • The total has gone OVER in 6 of Rayo Vallecano’s last 10 games Prediction: Barcelona have had their struggles this season, but this game should be no match for the class they possess. Most of their stars were on duty with their countries over the weekend, but they will still come out strong in this one for an easy win. Soccer Picks: Barcelona wins by 4-or-more goals, but fail to keep a clean sheet.Villarreal vs. Celta de Vigo
Venue: El Madrigal, Villarreal – Spain
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2015
Time: 6:00 AM ET
Both Villarreal and Celta Vigo seem to have defied their perceived underdog status in the La Liga soccer betting odds, rising above expectations to rank among the best in the league now.
The home team, Villarreal, will be looking to keep their hold onto the top-spot in La Liga, while the visitors will want to protect their unbeaten run in the league this season. After the Submarino Amarillo suffered a shock defeat to Levante, a game that also ended with a red card to Bojan Jokic, this will be a perfect opportunity for them to right the ship. They have won their last two encounters against Celta de Vigo and will be hoping to make it three out of three. Their injury list includes Suarez, Asenjo, Bakambu and Musacchio, while Jokic will remain out due to the red card.
After beating Barcelona, Celta de Vigo have not won any game despite staying unbeaten. Augusto Fernandez, Dejan Drazic and Andreu Fontas are all on the Celta injury list and could miss this clash.
Key Betting Trends
• Villarreal are 2-1 against Celta de Vigo • The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Villarreal’s 10 games • Celta de Vigo are without a win away in their last 3 games against Villarreal • Celta de Vigo are 2-1-0 away in their last 10 games Prediction: The current league leaders exhibited a lack of character in their last game against Levante, failing to deal with their low-tier opponents. If this continues, they will be knocked out by Celta. Plus, the visitors have a great away form and are currently playing some good football, which should see them get the win. Soccer Picks: A narrow Celta win, most probably 2-1, looks likely.Real Sociedad vs. Atletico Madrid
Venue: Estadio Anoeta
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2015
Time: 10:00 AM ET
Real Sociedad will be grateful for the international break after their last fixture ended in a 1-3 thrashing in the hands of relegation-threatened Malaga. The break is expected to have given them time to rethink their ways of approaching the league fixtures, especially against a tough nut to crack such as Atletico Madrid this weekend.
The visitors are also coming into this hoping to get back to winning ways, after the Madrid derby ended in a draw. They have not been in the best form this campaign, leaving them fifth on the table with 13 points from seven games. This will be a chance for them to climb up the charts.
