La Liga tips, best bets, predictions and previews: Matchday 31 picks
George Gamble takes a look at this midweek’s La Liga action, selecting his best bets.
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Football betting tips: La Liga
2pts Getafe to beat Almeria at 10/11 (General)
2pts Valencia to beat Real Valladolid and Under 3.5 Goals at 6/4 (Skybet)
2pts Both teams to score in Villarreal v Espanyol at 10/11 (Bet365)
Valencia v Real Valladolid
- Kick-off time: 18:30 GMT, Thursday,
- TV channel: La Liga TV
- Valencia 8/11 | Draw 11/4 | Valladolid 15/4
Valencia ended a run of four matches without a win when they secured a 2-0 away victory at rock-bottom Elche over the weekend. However, it was a match they should have won and did not raise any eyebrows when they did just that.
21 of Valencia’s 30 points have come at Estadio de Mestalla this season and the hosts will be hoping that their home fans can help them towards another victory and as such, lift them out of the bottom three in the table. However, opponents Real Valladolid are not completely safe themselves and will arrive here knowing that a win would essentially all but guarantee their own survival.
Six of the last eight clashes between these two outfits have featured fewer than three goals in total, and of the last seven such matches, Valencia have opened the scoring. It remains to be seen whether that will be the pattern that is followed once again on Thursday but backing Rubén Baraja’s men as they bid for survival looks wise.
As such, in what should be a tight game, VALENCIA WIN AND UNDER 3.5 GOALS at 6/4 makes appeal.
Score Prediction: Valencia 1-0 Real Valladolid (Sky Bet odds: 6/1)
Odds correct at 0950 GMT (26/04/23)
Villarreal v Espanyol
- Kick-off time: 18:30 GMT, Thursday,
- TV channel: Viaplay Ultra
- Villarreal 4/7 | Draw 3/1 | Espanyol 19/4
Quique Setién’s side currently occupy sixth place in the table but they’ll be hoping they can use these final eight matches to push further up the table and towards the top four. But two consecutive losses hampered their rhythm after winning three on the spin prior to those defeats. Having to come back from losing positions has been a large part of why they have struggled of late as they have shipped the opening goal in five of their last seven outings and tightening up at the back will be paramount.
Visitors Espanyol sit second-bottom and are fighting to preserve their status next season as a La Liga club. But they come into this encounter with utterly woeful form and have been dealt defeats in six of their last seven outings. However, one positive they can take is that in those defeats, they were at least able to get on the scoresheet and it instead highlights how poor they are at defending their own goal.
Exactly half of the visitors points tally has been accrued on the road and they’ve scored nearly as many goals away from home as they have in front of their own fans and so there’s every reason for them to believe they can make life difficult for The Yellow Submarine.
Despite these two outfits fighting at different ends of the table, neither look resolute in a defensive capacity and so the play of interest here has to be on BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE at 10/11.
Score Prediction: Villarreal 2-1 Espanyol (Sky Bet odds: 7/1)
Odds correct at 1010 GMT (26/04/23)
Getafe v Almeria
- Kick-off time: 18:30 GMT, Wednesday,
- TV channel: Viaplay Ultra
- Getafe 10/11 | Draw 12/5 | Almeria 18/5
The La Liga campaign approaches its conclusion and Getafe still have it all to do if they’re to avoid dropping into the second tier. After a recent run of form where they were unbeaten in eight consecutive matches, the hosts come into this relegation clash with Almeria having suffered defeats in two of their last three.
But on home soil, the Azulones have emerged victorious in three of their last league matches and have also kept three clean sheets in that time. They’re also unbeaten at home against Almeria in 11 consecutive head-to-heads and they would take a draw right now given they could potentially drop into the bottom three should they suffer a defeat in this encounter.
The visitors sit just a point behind their opponents in the league standings but if they’re to leapfrog Getafe, they will need to win their first road game of the season, a remarkable feat as a neutral but incredibly disappointing from an Almeria perspective. Their confidence is at an all time low and an away win looks unlikely. As such, backing a GETAFE WIN looks a standout pick.
Score Prediction: Getafe 2-0 Almeria (Sky Bet odds: 13/2)
Odds correct at 0930 GMT (26/04/23)
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