The Spanish La Liga has been a two-team race for some time now. Real Madrid and Barcelona are separated by just two points at the top of the table. Madrid plays on Friday against Almeria and is a massive (-629) favorite to get the win. Barcelona has a favorable match up against Getafe later on the weekend and will look to take advantage and keep up. If Real Madrid somehow loses, Barcelona will have the opportunity to – at least – temporarily jump over Real Madrid in the standings.
Getafe vs. Barcelona — Saturday, 10:00 AM ET
La Liga Odds: Barcelona -570, Getafe +1310, Draw +576
Getafe managed to steal a point in a 2-2 draw the last time these teams met but they will be in tough to do it again versus a determined Barcelona team that has rounded in to form. Lionel Messi finally broke the all-time scoring record, but that doesn’t mean he will show any signs of slowing down with the chance to add to his resume this weekend. Messi has three hat tricks in his last four games and he seems to have benefited from the presence of Luis Suarez up front.
Suarez scored Wednesday against Paris St. Germain in Champion’s League play, but has otherwise struggled to find his scoring touch with Barcelona. Even just having his presence around has helped Messi as the attention shown by opposing defense has to be shared between the two, not to mention the threat of Neymar. That means more space and more opportunities for Messi, which he has been taking advantage of. Getafe has struggled with consistency all year, which means this will be a big hurdle for them. Don’t’ be surprised if this is the game where Suarez breaks out with a big performance. Pick: Barcelona
Sevilla vs. Eibar — Sunday, 11:00 AM ET
La Liga Odds: Sevilla -271, Eibar +771, Draw +352
Seville is three points back of Atletico Madrid for third spot in the La Liga table and will have an excellent chance to add to its point total against Eibar. While the focus has been on their fight in the Europa League, Sevilla has been very good at home as well. Their four-point hold on the fourth and final Champions League spot is an excellent number for this point in the season, but they can’t afford to slide with anything less than the maximum three points against teams further below them in the standings. Eibar is one of those teams as they have just five wins in 14 games this season and just 19 points overall. That’s 10 less than Sevilla, which is why Eibar finds themselves in ninth place.
Look for Sevilla to take care of business this Sunday and keep the pressure on Atletico for the third spot in the standings. Anything less than a win would be a huge disappointment. Pick: Sevilla
Atletico Madrid vs. Villarreal — Sunday, 11:00 AM ET
La Liga Odds: Atletico Madrid -174, Villarreal +488, Draw +279
A goalless draw with Juventus pushed Atletico Madrid through to the final 16 of the Champions League and considering they were without their two center backs in Diego Godin and Joao Miranda, they have to be happy with that result. Even without the two starters, the defense held up well against Juventus and will look to build on that effort against a tough Villareal team this weekend.
The counterattack has been key for Atletico all year and will continue to be their strength in this game led by Mario Madnzukic up front. Madnzukic has scored eight goals in his last 11 games overall and he will look to add to that total with a chance to be the difference maker again in an important game for both teams as they jockey for position in the top six. Madrid is a slight favorite in this spot but playing at home in front of their audience, they should be able to take advantage. Pick: Atletico Madrid
