La Liga 2021/22 Matchweek 8 preview, best bets & top odds

Atletico Madrid will be trying to hold onto its spot in the top four on the La Liga table in Matchweek 8 with a win at home over Barcelona. We take a look at that matchup and also handicap the Villarreal vs Real Betis and Granada vs Sevilla matches in this weekend’s La Liga soccer betting picks.

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona

Atletico Madrid (4-2-1) suffered its first La Liga loss of the season last Saturday in a 1-0 defeat on the road against Alaves. Atletico bounced back from the loss with a 2-1 road win in UEFA Champions League play on Tuesday against Milan and will now try to carry the momentum of that win into this Saturday’s match at home against Barcelona (3-3-0).

Barcelona suffered its second straight 3-0 loss in UEFA Champions League play on Wednesday to Portugal’s Benfica. This club is just not in good form right now; since beating Real Sociedad 4-2 back in its season opener, Barcelona’s only two wins have come against lowly Levante and Getafe. Barcelona has settled for draws against two other bad teams in Cadiz and Granada. Facing a quality side like Atletico, look for Barcelona’s struggles to continue with the club’s first La Liga loss of the season.

Villarreal vs Real Betis

Villarreal (1-5-0) is having trouble finding offense this season with only six goals in six games. But thanks to an elite defense that has conceded only three goals in 2021-22, Villarreal has earned points in all six of its games including five draws. Real Betis (3-3-1) is playing well coming into this matchup with a 3-1-0 record over its last four games.

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While Betis prefers a more open game, Villarreal is clearly most comfortable playing a smothering defensive style. It’s hard to say whether Betis will be able to break through and win this one on the road or if Villarreal will grind out a win or another draw. But regardless of who wins, chances are this will be a low-scoring game. We see this one going UNDER the posted total.

Granada vs Sevilla

Sevilla (4-2-0) has the best defense in La Liga this season with only two goals conceded through the club’s first six games and is second only to Real Madrid (+13) in goal differential with a +8 this season. This outstanding defensive unit along with timely goals from Youssef En-Nesyri and Erik Lamela have Sevilla well on their way to another top-four finish atop La Liga’s table.

Granada (0-3-4) meanwhile is off to a terrible start with only five goals scored and 12 goals conceded through its first seven games. It’s difficult to imagine Grenada finding a goal against this stout Sevilla defense, which will likely force them to hold a clean sheet to avoid a loss. We think it is more likely that Sevilla breaks through for a goal or two en route to its fifth win of the season.