La Liga Betting: Real Madrid won't have it all their own way in Bilbao

Barcelona v Celta Vigo
Saturday, 12:00

Lionel Messi must have expected Neto to claim it. It wasn't his best shot ever, yet the Brazilian someone made a mess of it, allowing the ball to slip between his legs. GOAL! It was over the line and everybody saw it... apart from the two men who counted. Barcelona's players protested, stunned, but Valencia broke at the other end and almost took the lead.

The Catalans did eventually register, but only after falling behind to a dogged, daring side. It took some more conventional Messi magic - a gorgeous clipped pass for Jordi Alba - but for all the controversy over that ghost goal, the 1-1 draw was probably a fair result. Both sides left the Mestalla bloodied but standing, with the title race living to fight another day.

Celta Vigo are their next opponents, and if recent meetings are anything to go by, this could be a classic. The Galicians are rarely cowed by Barça and have won three of the last six, including a 4-3 thriller last term. In fact, over the last two seasons, the four games between the sides have produced 24 goals - a bumper crop by anyone's books.

Celta are a deeply unpredictable side, but things slowly seem to be coming together under Juan Carlos Unzué, a former coach at the Camp Bou. Iago Aspas and Pione Sisto have come into some form, and while ninth is only about par as far as league position goes, they have been durable away from home, winning three games and losing the others by a single goal.

They've also scored in all of those matches, and given they have netted more goals against Barcelona than any other team in La Liga over the past three seasons (10), there's reason to believe they'll have some joy here.

Recommended Bet
Both teams to score at 1.86

Athletic Club v Real Madrid
Saturday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports Football and Betfair Live Video

Gareth Bale picked a good moment to make his return to first-team action: he stepped off the bench to save Real Madrid's blushes against Fuenlabrada in the Copa del Rey, setting up Borja Mayoral's first with a majestic, outside-of-the-boot cross, then playing a part in the second with a lovely piece of improvised skill. If the Welshman has drifted to the periphery in recent months, this was a welcome reminder of what he can bring to the side.

Bale aside, that was another game in which Madrid seemed determined to make things tough for themselves. It came hot on the heels of a topsy-turvy Liga win over Málaga, secured only by Cristiano Ronaldo's late strike after Zinedine Zidane's defence melted into water again. Sergio Ramos and Nacho both missed that match - both could be back here - but the issues go beyond mere individuals.

Valencia did them a favour last weekend, of course, so Los Merengues are minimally closer to the summit than before, but there's still no real rhythm to their play. The 6-0 shellacking of APOEL was meant to open the floodgates, but it's been more of the same since.

Luckily for them, a trip to Bilbao shouldn't hold as much fear as it might have in previous seasons. Athletic are struggling under José Ángel Ziganda: they're without a win in five and will be looking over their shoulders at the relegation picture. Iker Muniaín's injury has hit them hard and they've kept just two clean sheets in the last 16 in all competitions. Aymeric Laporte is suspended here, which won't help, although they should have built up enough attacking momentum in games against Hertha Berlin (3-2) and Deportivo La Coruña (2-2) to get on the scoresheet themselves.

Recommended Bet
3pts both teams to score at 1.67

Getafe v Valencia & Las Palmas v Real Betis
Sunday, 15.15 & 19:45
Live on Sky Sports Football and Betfair Live Video

We finish with a double on Sunday, with goals expected to flow in the afternoon and late evening games.

In Madrid, Getafe might not have enough to prevent Valencia returning to winning ways, but we're hopeful about their chances of getting on the scoresheet. They've scored in their last five home matches, including against Barcelona and Real Madrid, and could be facing a weakened defence: Jeison Murillo is still out for Los Che and his replacement last time out, Ezequiel Garay, is also nursing a knock.

Gonçalo Guedes is out for Valencia and Simone Zaza continues to labour with a meniscus problem, but Marcelino still has lots of firepower at his disposal and is unlikely to see his side draw a blank, not least because Getafe are also missing players at the back: Cala and Antunes are suspended. Both teams have scored in four of six Getafe home games, plus five of six Valencia away games, so these are sides who tend to be involved in open games.

The same is true of Las Palmas and Real Betis. The Canary Islanders' 13 games have produced 37 goals so far and while they cannot be relied upon in any sense, they should be a good match for the side managed by their former boss, Quique Setién. Betis have veered from the sublime towards the ridiculous in recent weeks, their defence disintegrating at the vaguest hint of an opposition attack, but they should have the offensive tools to break down their hosts.

Recommended Bets
Back the both teams to score double at 2.50