La Liga Matchday 12 Odds, Picks & Predictions (2022)
We are almost one-third through the 2022-23 La Liga season, as the weather is beginning to get cold across Europe. That doesn’t mean things are starting to heat up, as five teams are within 10 points of each other at the top of the table.
Let’s take a closer look at two key matchups I’m dialed in on this week and see where the value remains.
(Odds noted courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Connect with sportsbooks to automatically sync your balances and bets >>
Saturday
Valencia vs. Barcelona
Losing 2-1 to Mallorca last week, Valencia suffered their first defeat in more than a month, as they had been playing some strong football up to that point. In the loss, they were exposed in the backline, giving Mallorca chances throughout the day. They were lucky to lose by just one goal.
Now, they welcome Barcelona to town, who comes into this match trailing Real Madrid by just one game at the top of the table. They lead Real Madrid, and all other teams in La Liga, in goal differential, coming into his one with a whopping +24 through 11 games.
Led by the league’s top scorer Robert Lewandowski who has 12 goals to this point in the season, I like Barca to pick up a relatively easy win vs. Valencia in this one.
Pick: Barcelona (-170)
Sunday
Athletic Bilbao vs. Villareal
Despite being No. 6 on the table, Athletic Bilbao has struggled mightily as of late. They have failed to pick up a win since Sept. 30 over lowly Almeria, who have just 10 points on the season. 0-2-1 over their past three games, Bilbao has a goal differential of -5 over that span, scoring just two total goals, both against Getafe.
Bilbao will look to get back on track as they welcome Villareal to town, who, after a slow start to the season, comes into this one having won two of their past three. Their sole loss over that span came vs. Barcelona, and their only other loss this month has come against Real Sociedad, who also hovers at the top of the table.
The more tested team as of late, I like Villareal, led by Alex Baena and his four goals on the season.
Pick: Villareal (+250)
Join the BettingPros Discord Chat for Live Betting Advice >>
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our How To Bet and Sports Betting Strategy and Advice pages are for you. You can get started with our How To Section — including How to Avoid the 7 Biggest Sports Betting Mistakes — or head to a more advanced strategy — like Thinking Like an Expert Sports Bettor — to learn more.
Johnny is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Johnny, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.