La Liga 2021/22 Matchweek 16 betting picks & top odds

Real Madrid will put its five-match win streak on the line this Saturday on the road against Real Sociedad in Matchweek 16 of the 2021/22 La Liga season. BP’s La Liga soccer betting picks for the weekend ahead also include the Barcelona vs Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano vs Espanyol games.

Barcelona vs Real Betis

Barcelona (6-5-3) has won back-to-back games for the first time this season with its 1-0 win over Espanyol followed by a 3-1 road win over Villarreal. There is still plenty of time left in the 2021-22 season for Barcelona to climb into the top four or five in the standings. A win against Real Betis (8-3-4) this Saturday would go a long way in that endeavour as Betis is currently four points ahead of Barcelona on the table (but with one more game played).

Real Betis also enters this match on the heels of two straight wins having beaten Levante 3-1 at home last Sunday and Elche 3-0 the Sunday before. Of course, those are two of the clubs in the bottom four spots in the standings; this weekend’s road test against Barcelona will be a much tougher one to pass. Look for Barcelona to stay hot with a win at home in this one.

Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid

Real Madrid (11-3-1) is 6-1-0 over its last seven games including a current 5-0-0 stretch. Madrid’s recent tear has allowed the club to open up a seven-point lead atop the La Liga standings over second-place Atletico Madrid, though Atletico has played one less game. Real Sociedad (8-5-2) also enters Saturday’s matchup sitting seven points behind Real Madrid and needs a road upset in this one to prevent that lead from being stretched to 10 points.

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It’s just hard to find much reason to pick against Real Madrid here. Yes, Sociedad is at home, but at 4-3-0 at home and 4-2-2 on the road this season, there hasn’t really been much of a difference. Similarly, Madrid is virtually just as strong with a 6-1-1 road record as it has been at home with a 5-2-0 mark. Both clubs have been solid defensively this season, but Real Madrid’s high powered offense led by Karim Benzema should be the difference in a road win for the favorites.

Rayo Vallecano vs Espanyol

Rayo Vallecano (7-3-5) sits right outside of the top five with 24 points and is 2-2-1 over its last five matches with its only loss over that stretch coming in a respectable 2-1 road defeat against Real Madrid. Espanyol (5-5-5) has alternated wins and losses over its last four matches with wins over Real Sociedad and Grenada and losses to Barcelona and Getafe.

We like the UNDER in this one. Four of Espanyol’s last five games have produced two goals or fewer including back-to-back 1-0 results. Two of the last thee matches between these two clubs have produced two or fewer goals as well. Rayo Vallecano should get the job done at home here in a 1-0 type of game, but 1-0 Espanyol or a 1-1 draw wouldn’t surprise us either.