La Liga Odds, Picks & Predictions for Matchday 7 (2022)
Following a week off, we’re onto week seven of the 2022 La Liga season as things are heating up across Spain. With a full slate of games on tap for this weekend, let’s take a closer look at a few matches I’m keyed in.
All odds noted courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
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Saturday
Mallorca vs. Barcelona
Barcelona returns to play this weekend with another crucial La Liga match as they square off against Mallorca on Saturday. The two clubs will be motivated to win this game for different reasons, as their seasons have been very different.
In the La Liga standings, Mallorca is currently in 11th place and has not played well this year. This month, they narrowly defeated Almeria 1-0, and they will have to fight very hard to repeat that performance in this match against a significant step up.
Barcelona, on the other hand, is now in second place in the league rankings and has been strong this year under Xavi. The last time we saw them on the pitch, Barca defeated Elche with ease winning 3-0.
In the 26 games played between the two teams, Barcelona has a stellar record and won 23 of them, which I fully expect to see 24 here. Barcelona has been performing well under Xavi, but they now face some injury issues. Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen will have to step up since Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde will not compete in this match.
I like a strong start from the favorites and think the value here lies in the first half number.
Pick: Barcelona 1H (-130)
Monday
Elche CF vs. Rayo Vallecano
After losing to Athletic Bilbao in the La Liga two weeks ago by a score of 3-2, Rayo Vallecano is attempting to avoid a recurrence of their struggles here. The Andoni Iraola-led team has scored 7 goals overall in the last 12 games while giving up 8 over that same stretch.
Elche CF will be attempting to get back on track this match week after losing to Barcelona in their previous La Liga outing 3-0 in a game that was a mismatch from the outset.
Elche CF has scored just 2 goals in their previous 6 games, making it abundantly clear that they have not been effective in front of goal; just as they were not last season. It’s also worth noting Los Franjiverdes have had a total of 16 goals scored against them in those games. Elche CF had lost their previous five La Liga road games coming into this one.
I don’t expect this one to be particularly close either and I think this is a game Rayo can run away with early.
Pick: Rayo Vallecano (-135)
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