Barcelona have been through a difficult week and Dan Fitch thinks Real Sociedad will be tough opponents, as he previews the midweek La Liga fixtures…
Osasuna 5.95/1 v Real Madrid 1.75/7; The Draw 4.03/1
Wednesday 20 April, 20:30
Live on LaLigaTV and Betfair Live Video
Real Madrid took a huge step towards winning the La Liga title over the weekend and can take a further step when they travel to Osasuna on Wednesday night.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team were up against Sevilla on Sunday, the only side to have really pushed Madrid at all in the title race this season. Sevilla were 2-0 up after 25 minutes, but in the second-half Real staged a comeback. Goals from Rodrygo and Nacho levelled the scores, before Karim Benzema notched the winner in injury time.
The victory effectively ended Sevilla’s hopes of winning the league, with Real Madrid establishing a 15-point lead over the third placed club. Barcelona looked to be the only side with a chance of overturning Madrid, but their surprise 1-0 home defeat by Cadiz on Monday, leaves them also 15-points behind the leaders, albeit with a game in hand.
Osasuna have the potential to make it a tough night for Real. Ninth in La Liga, they’ve won four of their last six games. We do however, have to assume that Real Madrid’s class will tell. Back the visitors to win at 1.75/7.
Levante can make it difficult for struggling Sevilla
Levante 3.711/4 v Sevilla 2.226/5; The Draw 3.55
Thursday 21 April, 18:00
Live on LaLigaTV and Betfair Live Video
Sevilla need to get over the disappointment of the weekend and simply secure their place in the top four.
Having pushed Real Madrid for months, it would be a bitter disappointment for Sevilla if they were to slip out of the Champions League qualification places. What would make it particularly galling, is that it is Sevilla’s local rivals Betis that are the most likely team to replace them.
Following their defeat, Sevilla have 60 points after 32 games (W16 D12 L4). Though only Real Madrid have lost less games this season, Sevilla only lead fourth placed Atletico Madrid on goal difference, while Betis in fifth are only three points behind. In 2022, Sevilla have only won five of their 14 La Liga games (D7 L2), losing two of their last three.
Though 19th in the table, Levante are fighting for their lives, beating Villarreal and Granada in April. This promises to be a difficult game for Sevilla, with Levante finding the net in each of their last ten games. In their 4-1 win at Granada at the weekend, Jose Luis Morales assisted twice and scored once. You can back a Bet Builder of Morales to score or assist again, over 2.5 goals and both teams to score, at just under 3.55/2.
Sociedad keep it tight at home
Real Sociedad 3.55/2 v Barcelona 2.166/5; The Draw 3.7511/4
Thursday 21 April, 20:30
Live on LaLigaTV and Betfair Live Video
Like Sevilla, it is up to Barcelona to secure their top four place before the end of the season.
Under Xavi, Barcelona managed to get themselves in a fantastic position, given their struggles in the first-half of the season. They had reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League and had miraculously opened the door ajar on the title race, but all their good work has come undone over the past couple of games.
Last week, Barca were beaten 3-2 at home by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League and went out of the competition on aggregate. Then on Monday, they suffered another huge blow at home, when they were defeated 1-0 by Cadiz. Barcelona had 75% of the possession and attempted 18 shots at goal, without scoring.
Sixth placed Real Sociedad held Real Betis to a 0-0 draw at the weekend, which leaves them five points adrift of the top four. Sociedad probably lack the firepower to break into that group, with only four teams scoring less than their 32 goals this season. Under 2.5 goals is 2.0621/20, despite landing in 15 of Sociedad’s 16 home games in La Liga.
Source: Betfair Spanish La Liga
