La Liga 2021/22 Matchweek 35 best bets & top odds

Four of La Liga’s top five teams are in action against each other this weekend as Real Madrid visits Atletico Madrid in the Madrid Derby and Real Betis hosts Barcelona. Here’s a betting preview of those two big games and Sunday’s Villarreal vs. Sevilla match in this weekend’s La Liga Matchweek 35 best bets.

Real Betis vs. Barcelona

Barcelona (19-9-6) has cooled off from its recent 11-4-0 run with a 2-0-2 record over its last four games. Interestingly, both of those losses came at home; Barcelona is still unbeaten in its last 13 road matches with an 8-5-0 record that includes a current stretch of five straight road wins. Real Betis (17-7-10) has failed to score a goal in each of its last three matches, recording a 0-2-1 record in those three games with one 1-0 loss and two 0-0 draws.

While we lean towards Barcelona here, our best bet in this match is on the UNDER 2.75 goals. Barcelona’s offense has scored only three total goals over the club’s last four matches, and Real Betis has allowed one goal or less in each of its last seven matches. Real Betis defeated Barcelona 1-0 on the road when these two clubs last met in December; look for another low-scoring game this time around.

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Villarreal vs. Sevilla

Villarreal (14-10-10) had a two-match winning streak snapped with a 2-1 loss on the road to Alaves last Saturday. The club is just 2-1-3 over its last six games, but all three of those losses came on the road. At home, Villarreal is undefeated with a 7-3-0 record over its last 10 matches. Sevilla (17-13-4) played to a 1-1 draw against Cadiz last Friday, marking the eighth time in the club’s last 14 games that it has played to a draw.

The draw odds look good in this one at +230. Sevilla’s only two outright losses over the team’s current 9-8-2 run came against La Liga’s two best clubs in Real Madrid and Barcelona. Villarreal has been playing too well to pick against at home, but beating Sevilla outright will be tougher than Villarreal’s current win odds of +130 would indicate. Given the high likelihood of a close and competitive match here, the draw should be a solid play.

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Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid

Real Madrid (25-6-3) crushed Espanyol 4-0 to clinch the La Liga championship and then went on to pull off a thrilling 3-1 win over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Real has won each of its last five La Liga matches and is 11-2-1 over its last 14 games in league play. Atletico Madrid (18-7-9) meanwhile fell to 1-1-2 over its last four matches with last weekend’s 2-0 road loss at Athletic Bilbao. This slump comes on the heels of a six-match winning streak.

It’s easy enough to make the case that Real Madrid should be taking it easy this week after that wild series against Manchester City and the La Liga title in the bag. But this is still a rivalry match against a cross-town rival, and the betting odds are a bit ridiculous with Atletico Madrid listed at +105 and Real Madrid sitting at +275. Regardless of motivation or starters resting or anything else, Real Madrid is too good to pass up on at this generous of a price.

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