Thursday sees the resumption of competition in LaLiga Santander, with Sevilla taking on Real Betis in perhaps one of the most unusual Seville derby matches in living memory.
Spanish football expert Chris Winterburn picks out his best ‘specials’ bets for the remaining 11 gameweeks...
- LaLiga - As it stands: Fixtures, stats & latest odds
- Five things about Lionel Messi
- LaLiga title odds: Barcelona 1/2 | Real Madrid 6/4
Messi and Barcelona to be best in class
Betting value on Lionel Messi and Barcelona performing expertly en route to the LaLiga Santander title is there to be had over the course of the remaining 11 matches.
Los Cules have been over-reliant on the Argentine for years, but never before has he been afforded the luxury of an extended break during the season.
Simeone to produce his finest end to a season yet?
At 14/1, the odds for Atletico Madrid going unbeaten over the next 11 matches could represent excellent value for a team that saw off Liverpool.
Los Colchoneros have been awful domestically this season, failing to utilise Joao Felix as the direct replacement for Antoine Griezmann, being forced to play without Diego Costa for lengthy periods due to injuries, and Simeone was forced to build an entirely new defensive line in the summer.
However, let’s remember where we were when football stopped. Los Rojiblancos had beaten Liverpool twice, including a fantastic 3-2 victory at Anfield which showed that Simeone’s team could match the best in the world when they are on form.
Real Sociedad will beat the rest
Betting without Real Madrid and Barcelona provides significant value when it comes to the LaLiga Santander title race as it really is wide-open behind the top two. Atleti should be there or thereabouts if they're remaining unbeaten for our previous selection, but draws have been an issue for them.
The actual battle for the crown will be between the Clasico rivals and there will not be a third party involved, yet when you look at the next best-placed teams there is a standout in the form of Real Sociedad.
Imanol Alguacil has coached his team into an attacking powerhouse, fully utilising the individual talents of Mikel Oyarzabal and Martin Odegaard.
Whilst the two players likely won’t be at the Basque club in 2020/21, they can carry the team to a wonderful third-placed finish this term and secure Champions League football.
With odds of 6/1 in favour of Real Sociedad finishing the highest out of all clubs excluding the two behemoths, it would be a clever bet on a team that has dominated their opponents for much of the campaign.
Their fixture list is made complicated by having to play Real Madrid and Sevilla, although both of those are at home, before that season finale against Atletico Madrid we talked about.
Atleti have more draws in LaLiga than anyone else this season, and in the Bundesliga draws have become more common without crowds involved, so expect even more for Simeone's men. So with Sociedad clear by this final game, a draw would do nicely for us all.
Selection:
Back Suarez to return with a bang
We've taken the Messi and Barca double as our main bet, but it's always worth a saver where Barcelona are concerned and, just in case anything happens to their main man, Luis Suarez provides the perfect cover bet.
Suarez hasn’t been fully fit since he underwent surgery in 2019 to help him play in the Copa America held in Brazil.
The decision to end his season early to take such an operation was frowned upon by Barcelona fans and the club’s management. His injury struggles carried over into the 2019/20 season and he had been expected to miss the remainder of the campaign through a knee ailment which also required surgery.
What followed was a period of intense rehabilitation and the ability to play again this season due to the COVID-19 enforced break.
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Odds correct as of 2100 BST on 08/06/20
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