Real Betis v Alaves
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Tuesday 18th January – 7PM KO
This fixture is a very difficult one to predict, and will pose a challenge for Betis, given that the Verdiblancos were in action only a little over 48 hours before this game as their Copa del Rey tie against Sevilla on Saturday night was suspended and continued on Sunday afternoon. That leaves a lot of question marks over Manuel Pellegrini’s potential team selection, and what will concern him even more is that Alavés come into this game off the back of nine days of rest.
In particular, offensive full-backs Álex Moreno and Héctor Bellerín are both likely to miss out, with the former suspended and the latter injured in that weekend clash. Juan Miranda and newly fit Youssouf Sabaly are far more conservative options and have just four La Liga starts between them this season.
Alavés have recovered somewhat since the appointment of José Luis Mendilibar, with consecutive draws against Real Sociedad and Athletic Club. In neither of those encounters have there been 2.5 goals, with Mendilibar tightening the ship since his arrival. However, they still rely heavily on forward Joselu, who has scored 63% of their goals this season. That’s a higher percentage than any other player for a La Liga side, and reports have emerged that he turned down a new contract from the club this week. Meetings between these two teams are usually surprisingly tight, with a -1 handicap bet not winning for either side in any of the last seven fixtures between the teams. Expect more of the same on Tuesday evening, with Pellegrini unlikely to gamble given the awareness that his team will be facing an uphill battle with tired legs before the whistle has even been blown
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Prediction: Under 2.5 Goals, 1.85 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Cadiz v Espanyol
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Tuesday 18th January – 8:30PM KO
Cádiz will be playing their first La Liga game with new coach Sergio González, but their struggles in front of goal will likely continue. No La Liga team scored fewer goals than Real Valladolid in Sergio’s two seasons in the top flight, while only Getafe have scored fewer goals than Cádiz this season. A 0-0 draw without a shot on target in the Copa del Rey against second tier Sporting Gijón on Saturday only adds to the feeling that the pair aren’t the ideal match.
Top goalscorer Choco Lozano also remains sidelined by an injury suffered against Real Madrid, leaving only three players in the squad with more than one goal to their name this campaign.
Espanyol are far from a prolific team either, given that they have only scored more than 2.5 goals in a single game once this season. What’s more, top scorer Raúl de Tomás has only scored one goal on the road since October. The Pericos have only won once away from home all season, though that win did come on New Year’s Eve at Mestalla.
Vicente Moreno will be out to avoid recording consecutive La Liga defeats for the first time this season, though he will be seeking to do so without first-choice left-back Adrià Pedrosa and regular midfielder Yangel Herrera. Pedrosa’s absence means that Dídac Vilà is set to make his first La Liga start since a 1-0 defeat to Mallorca in August. With only 20% of Cádiz’s home fixtures this season having ended with more than 2.5 goals, and none of their last seven outings having hit that figure, it seems a fairly safe bet that Sergio will seek to shut down Espanyol, knowing that they would struggle to compete in attack.
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Prediction: Under 2.5 Goals, 1.85 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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