it is no surprise that after two rounds of la liga games there are three sides with 100% records. it is a surprise, however, that neither real nor atletico are amongst that group, both having dropped points already.
barcelona, who finished in second place last season, three points behind champions real madrid, have won both their opening matches. and though it is early days, ernesto valverde’s men will be keen to maintain the momentum.
here we look at the biggest three matches in the third round of the la liga season, with predictions and betting tips to help you pick out some winning bets. we’ve also got the latest live odds comparison available on all la liga games to ensure you get the best betting odds available.
barcelona v espanyol – barca to cruise to victory
barcelona have put the disappointment of last season behind them and got off to a solid start in la liga, winning 2-0 at home against real betis then following up with a 2-0 victory at alaves.
the bookies can’t see espanyol causing barca any problems at camp nou, making the home side the 1/6 favourites for the three points (with bet365). if you fancy a surprise is in store, you can get chunky odds of 18/1 with betfair for quique sanchez flores to lead his troops to victory. we can’t see it though!
instead our betting tip for this derby clash is for barcelona to win the match with a -2.5 goal handicap on the asian handicap market, priced at a tasty 43/40 with bet365.
real madrid v levante – zidane’s men to return to form
zinedine zidane’s real madrid were outstanding last season, winning la liga and the champions league. we fancy they won’t be too far away from emulating that achievement this time around. with so many superstars in their squad and a manager who appears to be able to get the best out of them whilst juggling some big egos, they could be all but unstoppable.
it was therefore a surprise to us when real dropped two point last time out when drawing 2-2 with valencia at the bernabeu. had it not been for the profligacy of karim benzema in front of goal, it could have been a comfortable victory for the home side.
there is no doubt zidane will be looking for a reaction against newly promoted levante, who have drawn one and won one so far. the bookies are not taking any chances here, with our odds comparison showing the best price on a home victory is just 1/11 with betway. the draw is out at 14/1 with betfred and you can get the massive price of 40/1 with betfair if you fancy a humongous upset.
we don’t fancy levante to win, but we do think there’s value in backing juan muniz’s side to score, albeit a consolation. as such, we’re tipping real to win with both teams finding the net at decent betting odds of 5/4 with betway.
valencia v atletico madrid – atletico to get back in title challenge
valencia will have gained plenty of confidence from their 2-2 draw at real madrid prior to the international break but we don’t think they stand much of a chance of getting a result here against real’s city rivals atletico.
diego simeone’s atletico side managed only a 2-2 draw at girona in their season opener, though they did look far more convincing in the 5-1 triumph at las palmas last time out.
valencia are a decent side who are able to mix it with the best of them on their day, but atletico have beaten them on the last four occasions they’ve met in la liga, the last three by at least two clear goals. in fact valencia have won only one of the last 11 la liga games against atletico, which doesn’t bode particularly well for them.
the bookmakers are offering surprisingly generous odds of 15/13 (ladbrokes) for atletico to win the match, and that looks like outstanding value to us. some may be tempted by the draw at bigger odds but for us it has to be simeone’s men to take the three points.
whatever bets you are thinking of placing on la liga, it makes sense to check out our live odds comparison so you can get the best betting odds possible, and hence the biggest pay-outs when you bets come in!