A handful of La Liga games are taking place this week with all the big guns in action for the last time before Christmas.
Real Madrid still top the table comfortably despite being held to a goalless draw by relegation-threatened Cadiz at the weekend.
Sevilla lead the chasing pack and they have a very tasty fixture against Barcelona lined up on Tuesday evening with Xavi’s side looking to end a difficult 2021 on a positive note.
Defending champions Atletico Madrid have been in poor form recently with Diego Simeone’s men needing big improvement if they are to stand any chance of retaining their title.
Watertight Sevilla To Hurt Barcelona
Sevilla are second in the division and part of their success this season has been the strength of their defence.
They have only conceded 12 goals all season and are four points ahead of arch-rivals Real Betis in third.
Julen Lopetegui’s men usually go under the radar in terms of the big clubs in Spain but they are well set for another fine season and have won each of their last three.
Barcelona are certainly in a transitional period under Xavi with a loss, draw, and win in the last three games summing up their inconsistency this season.
They have only managed to keep one clean sheet away from home and are lacking that aura without Lionel Messi.
Sevilla are unbeaten at home this season and can be backed at 29/20 to beat Barcelona.
Real To Squeeze Past Resilient Bilbao
Real are still comfortably dominating La Liga as they sit six points clear of the chasing pack going into the halfway stage.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men had won seven in a row before Cadiz put up a real fight to take a goalless draw from the Bernabeu.
However, that slight blip won’t concern him too much as Real are still the team to beat this season.
They have scored 39 goals in 18 matches this season, seven more than the next highest by Real Betis (32) and look very steady under the Italian.
Their match against Bilbao might not see too many goals with the hosts having the second-best defensive record in the league behind Sevilla.
Recent form has been poor with Bilbao winning only one of their last eight and Real can be backed to win to nil at 5/2.
Atletico To Stumble On
Atletico are entering a crucial and challenging period of the season with Diego Simeone’s men on a three-match losing streak.
Their hopes of retaining the La Liga title appear to be decreasing and now the bread and butter aim is to secure Champions League football next season.
They travel to Granada on Wednesday and although the hosts are 15th in the table, they have entered a good period of form.
Robert Moreno’s side have won two and drawn two of their last four games and will go into this game feeling confident about taking something. They can be backed to take a draw at 57/20.
*All odds correct at time of writing.