Sevilla v Granada

Sevilla will host the first game of the weekend in La Liga and they do so in a poor run of form. They haven’t won any of their past four matches in La Liga, which has seen them fall out of the title race and their objective now is simply to hold on to their top four status. At home to Granada, though, they have a good opportunity to put some points on the board.

Still, Sevilla might have to grind this one out as their main issue in recent weeks has been scoring goals. They’ve only conceded twice during their four-match winless run, but the problem is that Sevilla themselves have scored just once in that time. With injuries to important players, with every one of their forwards out of form and with the winter signing of Anthony Martial having failed to work at all, Sevilla just can’t seem to score.

While they should have enough to overcome Granada on Friday night, we shouldn’t expect Sevilla to suddenly score a bunch. That’s because Granada have installed a more defensive system since Rubén Torrecilla took over as coach and they are likely to sit very deep in this game. Many teams in the lower reaches of the table have successfully adopted a very low block against Sevilla this season, leaving Julen Lopetegui’s side to have all the inoffensive possession they want. Granada could be the latest to try this at the Sánchez Pizjuán and this, therefore, could produce a game of few goals.

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Cádiz v Real Betis

When Cádiz took the decision to sack Álvaro Cervera in January, it did not go down well with the locals as the hugely popular manager had worked miracles over his five years at the club. But, it now appears that this was an astute move by the board, as his replacement Sergio González has done an excellent job.

In his 10 league games so far, his Cádiz side have won three, drawn five and lost just two. They’ve not been particularly attractive to watch, with just 10 goals scored and just seven conceded, but they are able to frustrate opponents and could do so when Real Betis come to town on Saturday.

A party-like atmosphere should be expected at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla, as this Andalusian derby is one of the most anticipated fixtures of the season and the fans didn’t get to attend last year due to the coronavirus regulations. Throw in the fact that the week-long Easter celebrations are about to begin and it’s clear that the crowd will be up for this one.

Their beloved Cádiz have a solid and improving team, while Real Betis come into this game with a few absences, most significantly that of the suspended William Carvalho, who has been the anchor of this side the past few weeks and months.

This is still a match between fourth-bottom and fifth-top, so Real Betis logically remain the favourites, but it would surprise nobody at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla if Cádiz take a win or draw, so a double chance bet on the home side could be worth a look.

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RCD Mallorca v Atlético Madrid

After setting up in their infamous 5-5-0 formation against Manchester City in midweek, Atlético Madrid now face a completely different challenge as they’ll visit relegation zone side RCD Mallorca. The islanders have lost their past seven matches, including a 1-0 defeat at Getafe last weekend in new coach Javier Aguirre’s first game since taking over from the sacked Luis García Plaza.

Aguirre set his side out in a very defence-minded formation, deploying various defensive midfielders at the expense of the creative talents Lee Kang-in and Takefusa Kubo, who only played the final few minutes. If he adopted that approach against a fellow relegation rival like Getafe, we can expect an even more conservative approach against the reigning champions and a team that has won six in a row in the competition.

Perhaps it works and Atlético Madrid are held to a frustrating draw, but the capital city side should have enough firepower to break down this RCD Mallorca team that is lacking confidence and, in this particular match, lacking some of their main central defensive options through a mix of suspension, injury and COVID-19.

Some might feel more comfortable with a draw no bet, just in case RCD Mallorca manage to cling on to the goalless draw that will be their objective from minute one, but Atleti surely have enough to get the job done on the island.

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Villarreal v Athletic Club

Villarreal’s last three weeks have been beyond strange. They have defeated Juventus 3-0 in Turin and won 1-0 when Bayern Munich came to town on Wednesday, but in between those famous Champions League nights they’ve lost 2-0 to Levante and 1-0 to Cádiz, two teams inside the bottom four.

Now, they have a LaLiga game in between the first and second legs of the Bayern tie and it’s difficult to know what kind of Villarreal will show up. It’s not as if they’ve dramatically rotated the line-up for their recent league games. It’s just that they haven’t played anywhere near the level they’ve shown against Juventus or Bayern.

The good news for Villarreal is that this weekend they host Athletic Club, who have lost their past four matches away from Bilbao. With a home crowd that will look to send the team off to Munich on a high and with all the players in yellow looking to put in a good enough performance to earn a start in the second leg against the Germans, perhaps Villarreal can take the three points.

But, anyone backing Villarreal this weekend based on their strong results in Europe should first be aware of the cautionary tales of Levante and Cádiz. 

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Real Madrid v Getafe CF

To rotate or not to rotate? That is a question Carlo Ancelotti has been asked all season and his answer has usually been to keep playing his strongest possible line-up, prioritising today over tomorrow. That has allowed Real Madrid to build up a 12-point lead at the top of the table, the kind of cushion that means that actually can afford to give out some rest in this weekend’s game, which comes in between the two legs of their Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea.

Karim Benzema scored another hat-trick in that first leg and will likely play some part against Getafe, but he might not play the whole game and that could be the case for other key creators such as Vinícius, Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić.

While a rotated Real Madrid side will still be heavy favourites against Getafe, this could be a more modest kind of victory for Los Blancos. The fact that Getafe play in a defensive 5-3-2, which sits especially deep when they go away from home, means that this could be a struggle for the home side and the fans attending the Bernabéu shouldn’t expect a goal fest.

Getafe frustrated Real Madrid earlier in the season on their way to a memorable 1-0 victory and, even if another win would be a shock, a similarly low-scoring affair is a strong possibility.

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