La Liga Betting Odds, Picks, Preview, Predictions: Our 3 Best Bets, Featuring Barcelona vs. Athletic Club (Feb. 27)
Xavier Bonilla/NurPhoto via Getty Images. Pictured: Barcelona standout Sergio Busquets.
With no football on Sundays, it gives Spain the opportunity to showcase a great slate of La Liga action, with four of the top six in the league playing that day this weekend.
Real Madrid has a chance to add to its six-point advantage at the top of the table when Los Blancos travel to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. Meanwhile, cross-town rival Atlético Madrid hosts in-form Celta Vigo with a chance to take sole possession of the final Champions League place for next season.
Sevilla welcomes Real Betis in the headliner on this super Sunday, with the two sides back to back in the league table in second and third, respectively. The hosts need points to keep pace with Madrid, while Betis could distance itself from the pack from the group fighting for fourth. Villarreal and Barcelona are both at home to round out a great day in the Spanish top flight.
We have put together three consecutive winning weeks in our best bets, including a perfect 3-0 record last weekend. Let’s try to close out a great February with another profitable set of selections.
La Liga Best Bets
Villarreal vs. Espanyol
| Villarreal Odds | -210 |
| Espanyol Odds | +600 |
| Draw | +350 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (-130 / +105) |
| Day | Time | Sunday | 8 a.m. ET |
| How To Watch | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute Soccer odds here. | |
To kick off Sunday’s slate, Villarreal is in a good spot to continue its fine form with a home win against Espanyol.
The Yellow Submarine has been dominant over its last 10 games, losing just once to go along with seven wins and two draws. The advanced metrics also showcase just how great the club has been.
During that same span, Villarreal has posted a +11.7 expected-goals difference and averaged 2.09 xG per game, according to fbref.com. This is the same team that won all seven of its games in that stretch by multiple goals.
As for the visitors, Espanyol is winless in its last six league matches and only has one win away from home this season in 12 tries. The side also only averages 0.94 xG per 90 minutes on the road this campaign.
Villarreal should have plenty of time to bounce back from the midweek action in the UCL, and the Yellow Submarine has to keep putting up great results in their domestic league to secure European qualification for next season.
Pund's Pick: Villarreal -1 (-120)
Sevilla vs. Real Betis
| Sevilla Odds | +120 |
| Real Betis Odds | +250 |
| Draw | +225 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (+110 / -135) |
| Day | Time | Sunday | 10:15 a.m. ET |
| How To Watch | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute Soccer odds here. | |
Following our first game, Sevilla takes on Real Betis in a game where I believe all of the value is with the visitor.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini has his team in great form coming into this match, winning four of its last six league contests and also picking up wins in cup competitions in that stretch.
This Betis side has also been impressive away from home, trailing only Real Madrid in points per game on the road (1.92) by winning seven of 12 away games to go with just three losses.
There is also a big scheduling edge in this game, as both teams had midweek fixtures on Thursday in the Europa League play. However, Sevilla had a long trip to Croatia to take on Dinamo Zagreb, while Betis remained in Spain for a home match.
You also have to wonder if the pressure of trying to keep pace with Real Madrid is starting to weigh on Sevilla, who has drawn in four of its last five games in the Spanish top flight.
Real Betis are a much safer bet to find the back of the net on a consistent basis, which would give us a shot of at least picking up a tie to cash this ticket.
Pund's Pick: Real Betis +0.5 (-140)
Barcelona vs. Athletic Club
| Barcelona Odds | -175 |
| Athletic Odds | +475 |
| Draw | +320 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (-115 / -110) |
| Day | Time | Sunday | 3 p.m. ET |
| How To Watch | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute Soccer odds here. | |
In our final best bet, I’m targeting another road underdog in great form that has the better scheduling spot.
Athletic Club has five wins in its last eight games in the league, which includes a victory over Barcelona in the Round of 16 in the Copa del Rey tournament.
If you look at how the team has done away from home, manager Marcelino’s side has done a great job of picking up draws, leading the first division with eight ties in 13 road games.
While Xavi has his team playing well, this is a very trick spot for the Catalon club. Barcelona is fresh off a trip to Italy to play Napoli in the Europa League, which is a game that saw many regulars play heavy minutes.
Athletic will definitely be the fresher team, but the big question is whether there will be players rested before the second leg of the Copa Del Rey semifinal on the Wednesday card.
When you add it all up, I think this number is too high to play Barcelona, which is why I’m backing the visitor to avoid a multi-goal defeat to cash this wager.
Pund's Pick: Athletic Club +1 (-120)
How would you rate this article?
Follow Us On Social
