The La Liga action continues on Monday with two mouth watering ties as Real Valladolid host Levante while, in perhaps the game of the weekend, Atletico Madrid face Athletic Bilbao in a repeat of last May’s Europa League final (Atletico 12/1 – Europa League outright).
After earning promotion through the play-offs last season, Valladolid got their campaign off to the perfect start by winning away at Real Zaragoza last weekend. However, if they are to maintain their La Liga status, their home form is going to be vital so they will be looking to set a precedent on Monday night (Valladolid 11/10, draw 23/10, Levante 12/5 – Match Prices).
On the other hand, Levante are now one of the top flight’s most consistent sides and after finishing sixth in the table in 2011/12, boss Juan Ignacio Martinez has once again brought in a number of rough diamonds to ensure they continue their progress this term.
The Granotes looked good in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid and with Europa League football also on the agenda this term; this could be an exciting 12 months for the Castilian club.
These are two extremely evenly matched sides but Levante are flying and should just sneak the three points (Levante 15/2 to win 1-0).
The late match has all of the ingredients to be one of the clashes of the season so far as Atletico Madrid face Athletic Bilbao (Atletico 8/13, draw 13/5, Bilbao 9/2 – Match Prices).
After their strong end to last campaign, the capital club have regularly spoken of their desire to challenge for the title.
They certainly have a number of players who deserve to be fighting it out for the game’s top honours and Diego Simeone’s men are always tough to beat at home. They will fancy their chances of claiming their first league victory of the season.
While ‘Atleti’ have been uncharacteristically quiet this summer, Bilbao are currently experiencing huge problems both on and off the pitch.
Their charismatic, if sometimes bizarre, manager Marcelo Bielsa has continued to make headlines after falling out with the board over the proposed building of the club’s new training facilities and at one point was even rumoured to have offered his resignation.
Perhaps more importantly though, the team that thrilled Europe last term appears to be falling apart, with their lynchpins Fernando Llorente and Javi Martinez both recently asking to leave the San Mames.
Unlike the other game on Monday, this will more than likely be an open and attacking encounter, with some sublime football and a number of equally ridiculous errors on show.
Both sides are used to this style though and it’s sure to be a thriller, but the capital club’s extra stability in their selection should see them take a comfortable win (Atletico 11/1 to win 3-1).
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