La Liga 2021-22 season preview, title odds & best bets

La Liga 2021-22 season is right around the corner, with Matchday 1 kicking off this Friday when Valencia hosts Getafe. Lionel Messi’s departure from Barcelona coupled with last season’s competitive title fight sets the stage for a wide-open race among La Liga’s top teams. Here’s a look at every team’s odds to win the championship and some top future bets in La Liga.

La Liga 2021-22 championship odds

Real Madrid (+100)

Carlo Ancelotti replaces Zinedine Zidane as the head coach of Real Madrid this season. Ancelotti will have to deal with the losses of some key defenders in Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, but the acquisition of former Bayern Munich defender David Alaba will help lessen the blow.

On offense, Real Madrid returns its fantastic midfield and star forward Karim Benzema. And with Real picking up €50 million in Varane’s transfer to Manchester United, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this club add even more firepower. Even if Real takes a step backwards in the defensive end, this elite offense will keep the team in contention for La Liga title all season long.

Barcelona (+225)

It’s difficult to talk about anything else besides the departure of Lionel Messi. Messi wanted to stay at Camp Nou, but the two sides couldn’t make it work financially even with Messi offering to take a large pay-cut. And so Barcelona must press on without the best player in the world.

The loss of Messi has overshadowed some excellent additions in Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Memphis Depay. This club is loaded with both veteran and young talent; on paper there is still enough here to compete for a league title. The question is whether or not Barcelona will be able to deal with the media and fan scrutiny under the shadow of Messi’s departure.

Atletico Madrid (+300)

Atletico Madrid won the championship last season for the first time since 2013-14 and for just the second time since 1995-96. It did so with the best goals against in La Liga conceding only 25 goals in 38 games and tied with Real Madrid for second in goals scored with 67 behind Barcelona, who just lost Messi.

Atletico took over first place on the table on Matchday 9 and never looked back. The club didn’t have any significant losses this offseason, though rumors are swirling of a potential Saul Niguez departure. They did bring in midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who on paper looks like an excellent fit. All signs point to another highly competitive season for the defending champions.

Rest of the field

• +1400 – Sevilla
• +3300 – Real Sociedad
• +5000 – Villarreal
• +10000 – Real Betis
• +15000 – Athletic Bilbao
• +20000 – Celta Vigo
• +25000 – Getafe, Levante, Osasuna
• +50000 – Deportivo Alaves, Espanyol, Granada, Valencia
• +100000 – Cadiz, Elche, Mallorca, Rayo Vallecano

La Liga 2021-22 predictions & best bets

Outright winner: Atletico Madrid

The elite talent and historic dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona suggest that La Liga’s traditional top two aren’t likely to be kept off the top of the table two years in a row. But while Real Madrid will be dealing with some major turnover on defense and Barcelona will be dealing with all kinds of external and internal turmoil, Atletico Madrid should be able to pick up where it left off in 2020-21. The odds are too sweet to pass up on at 3/1.

Top 4 finish: Villarreal

Villarreal finished in seventh place on La Liga table last year after finishing in the top five four times in the previous five seasons. Despite the disappointing regular season, Villarreal capped off an impressive run through the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League with its first ever title, defeating Manchester United on penalties in the final. The momentum of that victory coupled with the signing of forward Boulaye Dia should put Villarreal firmly in the race for fourth place with Sevilla and Real Sociedad.