La Liga Betting: Espanyol have the firepower to trouble Real Madrid

Barcelona v Las Palmas
Sunday, 15:15
Live on Sky Sports Football and Betfair Live Video

Lionel Messi hasn't scored in two games, Luis Suárez has been wasteful and Ousmane Dembélé is sidelined, but luckily for Barcelona, they have unearthed another deadly attacking talent over the last week: opposition defenders. Two own goals helped the Blaugrana past Girona last weekend, before the unlucky Sebastián Coates cost Sporting a point in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

It doesn't matter how they go in, of course, and Barcelona are now eight for eight in all competitions this season. But you get the feeling that someone is going to come in for a hiding when Messi and Suárez click back into gear, and Las Palmas look like prime candidates on Sunday afternoon.

The side from Gran Canaria are awful travellers - one win in their last 21 away games in La Liga, and that came against crisis-stricken Málaga - and all four meetings with Barcelona have gone against them since they returned to the top flight. The aggregate score last season was 9-1 and there's no real reason to expect better here.

The odds on the home win are predictably low at 1.09 so for a bit more value it's worth looking at the goalscorer markets. Suárez has six league so far this season and thrives against Las Palmas: he's scored braces in both of the last two games between these sides at Camp Nou and could repeat the trick.

Recommended Bet
Back Luis Suárez to score two goals or more at 2.40

Valencia v Athletic Club
Sunday, 17:30
Live on Sky Sports Football and Betfair Live Video

Valencia start the weekend unbeaten and in the top four and it's worth siding with them when they welcome Athletic Club to Mestalla on Sunday afternoon.

Marcelino looked to be operating a safety-first policy at the start of the season, which yielded a narrow win over Las Palmas and creditable draws against both Madrid clubs. But Los Che have really come to the boil as an attacking forcesince, obliterating Málaga last weekend and shading a five-goal thriller away to Real Sociedad in the week.

Simone Zaza has hogged much of the attention with five goals in five starts, but he is not the only threat: Rodrigo Moreno has rediscovered his mojo, Gonçalo Guedes has made a fine start to life at the club, Carlos Soler has four assists already, and both Santi Mina and Andreas Pereira have shown sparks. Add in the fact Valencia have kept clean sheets in all three home games so far and you have a convincing argument for backing them, even with Geoffrey Kondogbia suspended.

Athletic are a good side going through a tough moment under new boss José Ángel Ziganda. The Basques are without a win in five in all competitions, which is poor and sounds even worse when you look at some of their opponents in that run: Las Palmas, Málaga and Zorya Luhansk have all frustrated them. They need a win but may find the going tough against an in-form side.

Recommended Bet
Back Valencia to win at 1.83

Real Madrid v Espanyol
Sunday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports Football and Betfair Live Video

Watching them on Tuesday night, you wouldn't have taken Real Madrid for a side who have already dropped seven points from six games in La Liga. Zinedine Zidane's charges were impeccable against Borussia Dortmund, soaking up pressure and counter-attacking with real conviction to secure a 3-1 win.

Among the many positives in that one was the performance of Gareth Bale, who broke the deadlock with a dreamy volley and later set up Cristiano Ronaldo after a trademark run down the left. But the Welshman's hopes of building some momentum may be dashed this weekend, with reports circulating that he may have aggravated a calf injury. If there is any doubt whatsover about his fitness, he is unlikely to be risked.

With Marcelo and Karim Benzema still absent, Zidane is being forced to use his squad: Nacho has come in at the back and Dani Ceballos made the most of his chance last weekend, scoring twice in the win over Alavés. But there remains a fragility to the champions, which Espanyol will be hoping to exploit at the Bernabéu.

We don't hold out much hope of the Catalans getting a result - they've lost 16 and won zero of the last 19 league games against Madrid - but they should find the net. Quique Sánchez Flores' side were excellent going forward against Deportivo La Coruña last week, with a good understanding developing between Léo Baptistão and Gerard Moreno, two of the division's most underrated forwards.

Recommended Bet
Back both teams to score at 1.88