La Liga Betting: Barcelona and Atlético Madrid to serve up Sunday classic

Eibar can continue upward push

Deportivo La Coruña v Eibar
Saturday, 17:30 GMT
Live on Sky Sports Red Button and Betfair Live Video

Getafe were easy winners for this column against Deportivo La Coruña in midweek, and there's a good chance that fellow overachievers Eibar will repeat the trick on Saturday. Simply put, Depor are terrible: the arrival of Clarence Seedorf as coach has had no palpable effect, and with no win since early December, the Galicians are plummeting towards segunda at a frightening rate.

Deportivo do actually have some talented players in attack, but they're just not clicking - as a run of five straight blanks attests. That will encourage Eibar, who do most of their best work at home but have developed a handy habit of beating the sides at the bottom of the table on their travels; Los Armeros have already chalked up wins at Málaga, Alavés, Las Palmas and Leganés.

With Pedro Léon back to bring added dynamism to José Luis Mendilibar's side, and Pedro Mosquera suspended for the hosts, Eibar should have the quality to get a result at the Riazor.

Recommended Bet
Back Eibar 0 & -0.5 at [2.43]

Getafe no pushovers for Madrid

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

Zinedine Zidane seems more committed to tweaking his line-up in preparation for Tuesday's game against Paris Saint-Germain than amassing points - fair enough, really - and so the midweek defeat to Espanyol probably won't have had too much effect in the Real Madrid dressing room.

It was an experimental XI, with Gareth Bale up front, a rare start for Marcos Llorente, and no Cristiano Ronaldo, and while Madrid were poor in the second half, there was a solidity about them in the absence of Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić that will have encouraged Zidane. Mateo Kovačić will have a big part to play alongside Casemiro in Paris, while Lucas Vázquez and Marco Asensio should also benefit from the extra minutes.

Zidane will surely use Saturday's game against Getafe - or at least the first half of it - as a dress rehearsal for the Parc des Princes, with Ronaldo restored to the side and perhaps even a run-out for Marcelo after injury. But the result here is not the most important thing, and there's reason to think the visitors can keep things respectable - especially if Madrid's rhythm is broken by substitutions to preserve key players.

José Bordalás' side have only won once away from home in La Liga, but have picked up plenty of creditable draws: they have held Athletic Club, Celta Vigo, Sevilla and Barcelona on their travels. Only Atlético Madrid have beaten them by two clear goals, and with confidence high after their success over Deportivo, we like their chances of avoiding a thrashing.

Recommended Bet
Back Getafe +2.0 at 1.86

All eyes on the game of the weekend

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

'Hay Liga!' Those two words, so beloved of the Spanish football media, have rarely been uttered this season. Barcelona appeared to be cruising to the title, with regular sparring partners Real Madrid eating dust in the first half of the season. But the dark horses from the other side of the capital have patiently been chipping away at Barça's advantage at the top of the standings, and with the Catalans having slipped up against Las Palmas in midweek,Sunday's big game suddenly has a bit more riding on it. If Diego Simeone's side sneak a win, there really could be a league here, you know.

It would be an exaggeration to say Barcelona's form has fallen off a cliff, yet they definitely seem to be negotiating a downhill section. Ernesto Valverde's charges are still unbeaten in La Liga, but have drawn three of their last five, against opponents they would have been expecting to beat. Las Palmas certainly fall into that category, and referee Mateu Lahoz bore the brunt of the anger on Thursday night, it is also true that Barça were far from their best.

They cannot afford to be below par against Atlético, who have claimed 37 of the last 42 points available in the league, and who have won their last eight games (all competitions), by an aggregate scoreline of 21-3. Diego Costa is back to his manic best, which has been of enormous benefit to Antoine Griezmann, the scorer of seven goals in his last 138 minutes of football.

With belief flowing through the side, it's hard not to see Atleti scoring here. And while their defence has been in frugal form, Barça have only failed to score in two of their last 57 Liga games at Camp Nou. So while the draw tempts in the Match Odds market at 3.95, our play is to back both teams to score at 1.80. This bet would have paid off in nine of the last 11 meetings between the sides and should do so again in what promises to be one of the games of the season.

Recommended Bet
Back both teams to score at 1.80