Valencia v Real Betis

The first fixture of this midweek Matchday 36 is a rerun of April’s Copa del Rey final. Then, it finished 1-1 in normal time after goals from Borja Iglesias and Hugo Duro, going all the way to penalties, where the Andalusian side prevailed 5-4 from the spot. 

Given how recent the cup final was, there will be talk of Valencia wanting revenge in the build-up to this match, but the reality is that three league points here would do little to cheer up the mid-table side. 

There has been a sense of doom and gloom at Valencia since the cup final, with the team having drawn both matches since then, with coach José Bordalás angry at the board and with the fans dreading another summer of player sales. A 7:00PM local time kick-off means few of them will likely come out for this one. With such a negative atmosphere at Valencia, this is also a terrible time for captain José Gayà to have a two-match suspension, the second part of which he’ll serve against Real Betis. 

Meanwhile, Manuel Pellegrini’s side have had a Copa del Rey hangover of their own, drawing with Getafe and losing to Barcelona in their two matches since that weekend of celebrations. They do, though, still have a chance of finishing in the top four, so have a lot riding on this midweek trip to Valencia.

Real Betis should have enough quality and enough motivation to go to Valencia and secure the three points. But, even if they don’t, they should at least manage a draw against a Valencia side that haven’t won any of their past seven.

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Granada v Athletic Club

Both clubs have a lot to play for when Granada take on Athletic Club, as the home side are just outside the relegation zone and battling to stay there, while the Basques are just one point behind the last European qualification spot. 

Athletic Club are the favourites for this one and not just because they’re higher in the table and boast a better-quality squad. It’s also because they have more members of that squad available, with everyone bar the doubtful Oihan Sancet available for this trip to the south. Granada, on the other hand, could have up to nine absences through a mix of injury and suspension. That’s a big difference. 

Although Granada are at home, they may – like Valencia, as explained above – suffer from the early midweek kick-off time of 8:00PM local time. They’d love to have a full house to roar on the team, but that just isn’t possible at that time on a Tuesday.

For all these reasons, Athletic Club are the favourites to secure a victory. But, Granada haven’t lost yet in new coach Aitor Karanka’s three matches in charge, with two draws and one huge 6-2 win at relegation rivals Real Mallorca on Saturday. So, backing Athletic Club with the draw no bet option seems a sensible way to approach this game, one that means so much for both outfits. 

Barcelona v Celta Vigo

One of the most entertaining matchups in LaLiga Santander is taking place this Tuesday, with Barcelona vs Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou. When these teams face off, there are usually goals, as the Galicians aren’t the kind of team to sit back and park the bus. That means Iago Apsas and co. score their fair share of goals, while Barça often manage to exploit the space left in behind. There hasn’t been a goalless draw between these teams this century, while their past 15 matches have produced an average of 4.3 goals, including their 3-3 draw earlier this term.

This specific duel between Barça and Celta should be especially back-and-forth because of the absence of Sergio Busquets through suspension. With Pedri and Nico González both out injured too, the home side’s midfield is likely to be made up of Gavi, Frenkie de Jong and Riqui Puig, a trio that will get the ball forward but that could be overrun in the other direction.

With Barcelona’s wealth of attacking options, including the back-from-injury Ansu Fati, and with Iago Aspas having scored four goals across his past four games, we really could see goals at both ends here.

Alavés v Espanyol

Bottom-placed Alavés turned in a horrible display last weekend when they went away to Celta Vigo, losing 4-0 to the Galician side. That means they could now be mathematically relegated this matchday when they take on Espanyol at home. 

Even if relegation feels inevitable at this point, the Alavés players won’t want to suffer it at the Estadio Mendizorroza in front of their own fans. They have various homegrown players in the squad and many others who have been there for several years, so this is a proud team. 

That is probably one reason why the bookies have Alavés as favourites for this match, even if it’s at long odds of 2.2, while Espanyol’s terrible away form will be another factor. The Catalan club have collected just eight points from 17 road trips this term, which is the third-worst away record in the division. Furthermore, Espanyol have a few off-the-field problems just now, including dressing room issues with 15-goal striker Raúl de Tomás. He didn’t start Espanyol’s last match as a result of a conflict with his teammates and Espanyol’s attacking threat will be significantly reduced if he doesn’t start this game or if he does but isn’t 100 percent focused.

There will be many who, quite fairly, don’t trust Alavés at this point. But, others may feel there is one last hurrah in the Basque side against a very beatable Espanyol team.

Osasuna v Getafe

Osasuna have already secured survival, but Getafe aren’t safe from the threat of relegation yet, and they know it. After their goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, everyone associated with Getafe who spoke with the media insisted that the job is not done yet, despite their five-point cushion.

They’ll go to the city of Pamplona, then, determined to take at least a draw against an Osasuna side with nothing to play for. Given that Getafe have every member of their back five back available for this game, they’ll be confident of adding to their points total. 

Osasuna are a good team and striker Ante Budimir is a threat, but they have been very hot and cold this season at home. Osasuna have only won five of their 17 matches at El Sadar, drawing six and losing six, so there could be decent value in backing Getafe.

Sevilla v Real Mallorca

It hasn’t been a good end to the season for Sevilla, who have gone from being potential title challengers to needing one more result just to confirm Champions League qualification. But, Real Mallorca’s situation is even worse as the islanders are back inside the relegation zone after being thrashed 6-2 at home to Granada on Saturday.

It doesn’t get any easier for Real Mallorca as they now have to go away to Sevilla and their position in the table means they can’t afford to adopt the approach they ordinarily would for a game like this, of sitting very deep and hoping for a draw. Real Mallorca need wins, but they are so easily picked apart when they try to play attacking football. Sevilla, especially, have the system and personnel to exploit any gaps Real Mallorca leave in their defence. 

That’s why Sevilla should be heavily favoured in this game. Despite their poor recent form, it should be kept in mind that they have the second-best home record in the division, having only lost one league game in front of their home fans all year and with that defeat coming against Real Madrid. 

Sevilla should go out there and target a victory that their fans will celebrate. They’ll be aware that they can secure Champions League football in this matchday, while they’ll also be keen to keep alive their hopes of second place and a place in the Spanish Super Cup, which is an explicit goal of coach Julen Lopetegui. This could be another tough night for Real Mallorca.

Elche v Atlético Madrid

Atlético Madrid took a huge step towards Champions League qualification by winning the Madrid Derby on Sunday night and now they visit Elche looking to mathematically wrap up a top four finish. 

Elche, meanwhile, are virtually safe from relegation, so they have been experimenting in recent weeks with their shape and their personnel, trialling a back three in some games and giving minutes to some of their lesser-used players. This is, therefore, a difficult one to predict because the dynamic of this game will depend a lot on what kind of line-up Elche put out on the pitch. 

That’s why it’s advisable to avoid backing either team, but a bet on the goals market could make sense and under 2.5 goals would be the logical way to go. Elche have been struggling to score since they lost star striker Lucas Boyé to injury and Atlético’s finishing has been similarly poor since they lost João Félix to a physical issue of his own, something that was on full display in Sunday’s Madrid Derby. The return to form of Jan Oblak also makes a bet on the under an attractive one.

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