Eibar v Málaga
Saturday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports 3 and Betfair Live Video


Not the most glamorous tie to kick off our weekend in Spain, this, but one that definitely offers some value. They may both be roughly in midtable (i.e. not in the European places or in severe relegation trouble) but Eibar and Málaga are separated by nine points and the home side are a good bet to come out on top.

The Gunners lost to Sevilla last week but there's no great shame in that and their three results prior to that were hugely heartening: they beat Deportivo La Coruña 3-1 at the end of January and followed that up with back-to-back 4-0 wins over Valencia and Granada. Confidence should be high, then, and they are always a solid proposition at Ipurua, where they have won seven of their 12 league games this term.

Málaga snuck past Las Palmas on Monday night, bringing an end to an 11-match winless streak. But there was an element of luck to that result - Pablo Fornals' equaliser looked like a cross that looped in - and it came against notoriously poor travellers, so we're reluctant to think they've turned a corner in any meaningful sense.

The away side are without starting central midfielders José Rodríguez and Ignacio Camacho, both of whom are suspended, and have not kept a clean sheet since November. We like the Eibar win at 2.08, while Sergi Enrich looks a worthy addition in the To Score market, having notched five times in his last five games.

Recommended Bets
Back Eibar at 2.10
Back Sergi Enrich to score at 2.36

Atlético Madrid v Barcelona
Sunday, 15:15
Live on Sky Sports 2 and Betfair Live Video


The game of the weekend in La Liga takes place in the capital, where Atlético Madrid welcome Barcelona to the Vicente Calderón for the final time. There is an appropriate feeling of finality to the fixture, too, with both sides starting to face up to the end (or the beginning of the end) of an era.

Barcelona's woes have been well documented since their Parisian blackout, but the most visible sign of fracture to date arguably came in the dying minutes of their scrappy victory over Leganés last weekend. Lionel Messi could not even bring himself to celebrate his last-gasp winner from the penalty spot, merely lowering his head and glowering. It was a picture that spoke a thousand words.

There's no such doom and gloom in the Atleti changing room, but things are changing. The gritty defensive solidity that has defined much of Diego Simeone's reign has clearly started to eke away, for one, and the rumours linking the coach and star player Antoine Griezmann with moves away this summer grow louder by the day.

The goals have been flowing for Atleti, with Kévin Gameiro rediscovering his touch at a handy moment in the season and Fernando Torres chipping in. Their 4-2 win in Leverkusen on Tuesday made it 11 goals in three games and we fully expect them to have some joy against Barça's middling backline.

At the other end, too, there should be action: for all their travails, Barcelona have only failed to score in one league game this term, while Atleti's only clean sheet in their last six games came against goal-shy Leganés. With all that in mind, both teams to score is the obvious angle.

Recommended Bet
Back both teams to score (2pts) at 1.80

Villarreal v Real Madrid
Sunday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports 1 and Betfair Live Video


Zinedine Zidane's side finally snuck one of their games in hand into their calendar on Wednesday, but were unable to extend their lead at the summit. Madrid looked out of sorts against a determined Valencia side, who struck twice inside the first ten minutes and clung on for victory. "We reacted too late," Zidane lamented after the match.

They'll be looking to bounce back on Sunday night, but won't find it easy against a Villarreal side that has reacted well since their heavy home defeat to Roma. They weathered storm after storm before stealing a win over Real Sociedad last weekend, then exacted some minor revenge on their Europa League nemeses, picking up a 1-0 win in Italy.

Fit-again Roberto Soldado and Denis Cheryshev have boosted Villarreal's attacking options, but the key for them remains the defence: they still have the most frugal backline in La Liga, having conceded just 15 goals all season. Two clean sheets in a row are an indication that they are getting back to their grinding best after a wobble.

Madrid's recent away form has not been enormously convincing: they've won just one of their last five away from the Bernabéu (all competitions), and that was against doomed Osasuna. The return of Gareth Bale to fitness is a welcome boost - he might start here after a couple of run-outs off the bench - but Los Blancos are still lacking some of the rhythm they displayed before the winter break.

Fran Escribá rested a number of players in midweek, so Villarreal should be the fresher side. They also have a habit of raising their game in the big matches: they haven't lost to any of the current top five in La Liga and have frustrated Sevilla (0-0 home and away), Barcelona (1-1 at El Madrigal) and Madrid, in their first meeting this season (1-1).

Backing Villarreal with a +0.5 goal headstart is our main play here, but given the set of results above, we'll also take on the 0-0 and 1-1 scorelines - even splitting your stake yields attractive odds.

Recommended Bets
Back Villarreal +0.5 at 2.36
Back 0-0 and 1-1 correct score (split stakes) at 5.80


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