La Liga Round 23 Preview: Atletico And Real Madrid Lock Horns In Huge Local Derby

Meanwhile, Barcelona head to Athletic Bilbao
while Alaves try to start recovery against Levante

There are
no prizes for guessing the biggest game in Spain’s La Liga this coming weekend, with city
rivals Atletico and Real Madrid set to clash at the Wanda Metropolitano on
Saturday afternoon (9 February). The following day, champions Barcelona face a
tricky test away to Athletic Bilbao, while on Monday night Alaves will be
looking to rediscover their best form at home to Levante.

First things first

Before you
go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, find your favourite
betting site and get your own account up and running using your credit card. As
a new customer and with the La Liga campaign already over halfway through,
there should be a wide range of promotions and special offers available to you.

Where should I be investing my money?

First up,
the derby between Atletico and Real Madrid on Saturday afternoon. Atletico have
lost just twice in the league all season but fell last week away to Real Betis
– they remain unbeaten at home, however, and will be looking to score one over
their more illustrious neighbou8rs.

Real, by
way of comparison, sit just two points behind Atletico after a run of four
league wins in a row. That means a victory on the road this weekend could put Los Blancos in second place above their
rivals as they set their sights on Barcelona and the domestic crown.

And while
the betting is close, it is Atletico who come in as the favourites to claim
local bragging rights. You can more than double your money by backing the home
side to win at 2.37, while Real are out at 3.10 to do the same – a draw would
appear to be the least likely outcome and is priced accordingly at 3.25,
according to Oddsshark.

And we are
expecting Atletico’s impressive home form to hold them in good stead in this
encounter. A comfortable, 2-0 win for Atletico is priced competitively at
11.00, thereby offering more than a ten-fold return on any investment, while
you can quadruple your money by backing a combo bet of an Atletico win, coupled
with a “No” to both teams scoring, at 4.00.

Barcelona face tough test in Bilbao

The
following day, defending champions and current table toppers Barcelona face a
tricky test away to Athletic Bilbao. Barça sit six points clear at the top of
the table and are priced at just 1.14 to retain the league title this season.

Athletic,
in stark contrast, are having a disappointing campaign and find themselves in
the bottom half of the standings. They are however unbeaten in their last six
league outings in front of their own fans and are more than capable of
springing a shock here.

Nevertheless,
it is Barça who come into this match as the red hot favourites to take all
three points. You can back the visitors to win at just 1.66 while Athletic,
despite home advantage, are out at 5.00 to do the same – a draw is priced in
the middle at 4.00.

And this
contest could well end up honours even. A 1-1 draw is priced at 7.50, meaning
that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$37.50 pay out, while you can more than
double your money by backing under 2.5 goals in the game at 2.20.

Alaves in need of three points against Levante

And
finally, Monday Night Football this week sees Alaves host Levante in desperate
need of three points to get their domestic campaign back on track. Alaves are
without a win in their last four league matches and have slipped down to
seventh after an excellent start to the season – they are now all the way out
at 51.00 to secure a top four finish this term.

Levante,
meanwhile, are sat in 11^th place and have taken just one point from
their last two matches. They could move into the top four with a win here,
depending on how other results go.

But it is
home side Alaves who are the favourites to record a win. You can more than
double your money by backing the home side to get back to winning ways at 2.10,
while Levante are out at 3.60 to take the points – a draw comes in slightly
lower at 3.40.

And we are
expecting home advantage to be a deciding factor here. A narrow, 2-1 win for
Alaves comes in at 8.50, while you can double your money by backing over 2.5
goals in the game at 2.00.

La Liga round 23 fixtures:

Friday, 8 February

(2.90)
Valladolid x Villarreal (2.45); draw (3.30)

Saturday, 9 February

(1.90) Getafe x Celta Vigo (4.33); draw
(3.40)

(2.37) Atletico Madrid x Real Madrid
(3.10); draw (3.25)

(1.80) Espanyol x Rayo Vallecano (4.50);
draw (3.60)

(2.00)
Girona x Huesca (4.00); draw (3.30)

Sunday, 10 February

(2.40)
Leganes x Real Betis (3.30); draw (3.00)

(1.83)
Valencia x Real Sociedad (4.75); draw (3.50)

(1.66)
Sevilla x Eibar (5.00); draw (4.00)