La Liga Betting: Real Madrid can overcome Málaga to seal Spanish title

Atlético Madrid v Athletic Club
Sunday, 15:45
Live on Betfair Live Video

We saw in the Premier League last weekend that saying goodbye to a much-loved stadium can inspire a football team. Atlético Madrid will be looking to take a leaf out of Tottenham's book on Sunday, when they welcome Athletic Club to town for what should be the final game at the Vicente Calderón.

Diego Simeone's charges will doubtless want to give the place a good send-off before their move across the capital to the new-look Wanda Metropolitano and if Atleti can produce a performance anywhere near as strong as the one they put in against Real Madrid in the final European match there, they should get the job done.

Yes, Los Colchoneros are without a number of key men at the back: Diego Godín, Filipe Luís and José María Giménez are all suspended this weekend, joining Šime Vrsaljko and Juanfran on the sidelines. But if anyone can patch up and inspire the side to one final hurrah, it is the irrepressible Simeone, for whom this match may also be valedictory in nature.

Recommended Bet
Back Atlético Madrid to win at 2.12

Barcelona v Eibar
Sunday, 19:00
Live on Sky Sports Mix and Betfair Live Video

Even if it comes to nothing, Barcelona can at least say they gave it a good crack. Real Madrid have been in the driving seat for some months now, but their great rivals have produced a stirring run of 15 wins in 17 league matches to keep the pressure on until the last. It has been a valiant effort, especially given the disarray around the club at stages earlier in the campaign.

The Catalans are unlikely to slip at this final hurdle. They have won their last 11 games at the Camp Nou by an aggregate score of 46-9 and tend to enjoy playing Eibar: Barça have won all five Liga meetings between the sides, scoring 16 times and conceding just once.

That chimes with a wider pattern of Eibar struggling against the big sides, and this weekend there is the added factor that the minnows are basically already on their summer holidays. José Luis Mendilibar's side have claimed just four points from their last six games, failing to score in five of them. They have nothing to play for and it's hard to see them putting up much of a fight.

Recommended Bet
Back Barcelona win to nil at 1.83

Málaga v Real Madrid
Sunday, 19:00
Live on Sky Sports 3 and Betfair Live Video

The mathematics of the thing are fairly simple for Real Madrid: avoid defeat at Málaga and a 33rd La Liga title - a first since 2011/12 - is theirs. Having held their nerve in their game in hand against Celta Vigo in midweek, just 90 minutes separate them from glory.

Real have an excellent league record at the Rosaleda: 15 matches have yielded nine victories and just a single defeat. But Málaga have been in handy form recently, beating Barcelona and Sevilla in a run of six wins in eight. Star striker Sandro Ramírez, a former Barça player, has insisted that his side will be going all-out to derail their opponents' bid at the last.

Against that, Real can point to their own serenity in recent weeks. Since the Clásico put the cat amongst the pigeons, Zinedine Zidane's side have quietly gone about their business, compiling five straight league wins - four of them by a margin of three goals or more. They have now scored in their last 63 matches in all competitions, so Málaga will almost certainly need to be ruthless in attack if they are to spring an upset.

Málaga do have the firepower to trouble Los Merengues, even if the away win looks the most likely outcome. The angle, then, is to back Madrid to seal the title with both teams getting on the scoresheet - a bet that would have landed in fully 27 Madrid matches this season.

Recommended Bet
Back Real Madrid to win and both teams to score at 21/20