La Liga Round 27 Preview: Athletic Bilbao Look To Move Up Table With Win Over Espanyol

Meanwhile, league leaders Barcelona host Rayo Vallecano while Sevilla welcome Real Sociedad

The 27^th round of action in Spain’s La Liga kicks of this Friday evening (8 March) with a close contest between Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol. On Saturday afternoon, defending champions and table toppers Barcelona host Rayo Vallecano hoping to extend their healthy lead at the top of the table, while on the Sunday afternoon Sevilla will look to make up ground on the top four when Real Sociedad come to town.

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 well over halfway through, there should be a wide range of promotions and special offers available to you.

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First up, the clash between Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol on the Friday night. Athletic have had a disappointing campaign by all accounts and currently find themselves in the bottom half of the table – a win here however could take them up to seventh, temporarily at least.

Espanyol, by way of comparison, come into this match in fairly good form, having gone five league games unbeaten. They are level on points with Athletic and a place below them in the table, meaning that a win on the road would see them leapfrog their opponents.

Nevertheless, it is Athletic Bilbao who come into this match as the red hot favourites to take all three points. You can back the home side to get back to winning ways at just 1.70, while Espanyol are out at 5.50 to pick up a win on the road – a draw is priced in the middle at 3.60, according to Oddsshark.

And we believe that this one could well end up honours even. A 1-1 draw is priced at 7.00, meaning that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$35 pay out, while you can more than double your money by backing both teams to score at 2.20.

Barça host Rayo Vallecano looking for three more points

The following afternoon, Barcelona welcome Rayo Vallecano to Camp Nou as they go in search of three more points in their title quest. The Catalan giants are seven points clear at the top of the table and are priced at just 1.020 to retain their domestic crown.

Rayo Vallecano, in stark contrast, are in serious trouble at the opposite end of the table. They have lost their last five league matches in a row and sit next to bottom in the standings, two points from safety –they are the favourites to be relegated at just 1.20.

It is therefore of little surprise to see that it is Barcelona who are the overwhelming favourites to win this contest. You can back the league leaders to take all three points at just 1.16, while Rayo Vallecano are all the way out at 15.00 to record what would be a shock victory on the road – a draw is priced in the middle at 8.00.

This should be a walk in the park for the champions. A 4-1 rout for Barça is priced competitively at 13.00, thereby offering more than a ten-fold return on any investment, while you can double your money by backing both teams to score at 2.00.

Sevilla in desperate need of three points

And finally, Sevilla host Real Sociedad on Sunday afternoon desperately needing all three points. The side has lost four of their last five matches in La Liga and have slipped down to sixth in the standings – they are now priced at 2.10 to finish in the top four this season.

Real Sociedad, by way of comparison, are also struggling, taking just one point from their last two league games. They sit ninth in the table but are out at 34.00 to climb into the top four come the end of the campaign.

Despite their poor recent form, it is Sevilla who come into this match as the clear favourites to take all three points. You can back the home side to win at just 1.66, while Real Sociedad are out at 4.75 to do the same – a draw is priced in the middle at 4.20.

And we are expecting home advantage to be a key factor in this contest. A narrow, 2-1 win for Sevilla is priced at 8.00, while you can more than triple your money by backing a combo bet of a Sevilla win, coupled with both teams to score, at 3.25.

La Liga round 25 fixtures:

Friday, 8 March

(1.70) Athletic Bilbao x Espanyol (5.50); draw (3.60)

Saturday, 9 March

(2.90) Alaves x Eibar (2.55); draw (3.20)

(1.44) Atletico Madrid x Leganes (8.00); draw (4.33)

(1.16) Barcelona x Rayo Vallecano (15.00); draw (8.00)

(1.61) Getafe x Huesca (6.50); draw (3.60)

Sunday, 10 March

(2.50) Celta Vigo x Real Betis (2.90); draw (3.30)

(3.30) Girona x Valencia (2.35); draw (3.20)

(2.90) Levante x Villarreal (2.50); draw (3.30)