Atletico Madrid will get the chance to put pressure on surprise leaders Real Sociedad this weekend when they travel to Valencia on Saturday.
Diego Simeone’s are sat in second place, despite plying two games less than the table toppers, and having knocked off Barcelona last week, the form guide suggests they have what it takes to overcome Los Che.
Mestalla Holds No Fears for Well-Travelled Atleti
Valencia are unbeaten in their last three league matches but their poor start to the season means they are ninth in the table.
A top-six finish is not out of the question, but their record against Atletico is disappointing, to say the least.
Los Che have failed to win any of their last 11 league games against Atletico, a run stretching back to October 2014.
They are winless in five at home against Simeone’s troops, while Atletico are unbeaten in 11 on their travels.
Los Rojiblancos were frustrated by Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League in midweek but have had no such issues domestically; last week’s 1-0 win over Barcelona was their fifth in a row.
Everything points to a comfortable away win, and Atletico are priced at 5/7 to grab all three points.
Time for Real Madrid to Make their Mark
Real Madrid secured a morale-boosting win on Wednesday as they beat Inter Milan 2-0 in the San Siro in the Champions League.
Zinedine Zidane’s side produced the goods without Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema as they made it back-to-back wins in Europe and now the test is whether they can transfer that form to La Liga.
Los Blancos have taken one point from their last two league games at Valencia and Villarreal but have won their last two at home in all competitions, and Deportivo Alaves have a dismal record in the capital.
Madrid have played 15 home games against Alaves in La Liga, winning 14 of them and keeping a clean sheet in the last five.
They should have far too much class for their opponents, and a Real Madrid win and over 2.5 goals is available at 5/6.
Midweek Win Could Be the Catalyst for Barcelona
Like their great rivals Real Madrid, Barcelona secured a vital three points in the Champions League in midweek.
Ronald Koeman’s young squad travelled to Ukraine to face Dynamo Kiev and comfortably won 4-0 on Tuesday.
That was a positive response to last week’s loss to Atletico and the recent form of the Blaugrana has been good overall, winning three of the last four.
They have scored 14 goals in their last five games at Camp Nou, while Sunday’s opponents, Osasuna, arrive in Barcelona in poor form.
On the road, they have failed to score in their last four matches and Barcelona should prove too much for Roberto Torres’ troops, with a home win to nil priced at 6/5.
Lionel Messi was rested in midweek, and he has an impressive record against Sunday’s opponents.
The Argentina international has 22 goals in 18 league games against Osasuna, and he has scored at least one goal against them in his last six appearances on home soil.
Messi is 23/10 to score first, while he is 33/20 to score two or more.