Savage gives us his thoughts on the pick of the matches in Spain’s Primera División as the big three look to further strengthen their position at the top
Real Madrid v Osasuna
Sat 07 Oct 15:15
Real continued their perfect start to their European campaign with a 2-3 win over the Italian champions. Vinícius Jr showed why he is so important by immediately bagging a goal on his return from injury. However, it was Jude Bellingham who once more grabbed the headlines. Not only did he assist the opening goal but he also netted a glorious solo effort to put Madrid ahead in the first half.
Their visitors by contrast are seriously struggling for any kind of consistency. Despite sitting in 10th, they have just three wins (W3 D1 L4) so far with two of those coming against teams already locked in the relegation battle. The Pamplona side haven’t beaten their hosts since 2011 which is a run of 19 matches in all competitions. It is hard to see how Ancelotti’s men will not make that 20 come Saturday.
Atlético Madrid v Real Sociedad
Sun 08 Oct 15:15
Atlético, like their crosstown counterparts, also came out on the right side of a 5 goal thriller in midweek. Their 3-2 win against Feyenoord keeps them top of Group E.
Their visitors are in the same position having comfortably taken care of Salzburg 0-2 to leave them at the summit of Group D. Sociedad have also found some domestic form of late. Having drawn their first 3, they have now won 4 of their last 5 (W4 L1). In fact both teams have won their last three on the bounce heading into this weekend’s fixture.
Simeone’s side started their current run with the incredible Madrid derby win and followed that with wins against Osasuna and Cádiz. Two of the league’s best forwards will go head to head in this one. Morata and Kubo have both racked up 5 goals so far so there could be goals on offer here.
Granada v Barcelona
Sun 08 Oct 20:20
The ankle injury sustained by Lewandowski in midweek will not be so concerning for Xavi this weekend. The far more worrying news is that he could miss El Clásico later this month. Even without their top goalscorer this should be little more than a formality against a Granada side who have just one win (W1 D2 L5). The hosts are also averaging over 2.5 goals conceded per game so it is no surprise to see them firmly in the relegation places. Barca are currently unbeaten in 10 in all competitions (W8 D2) but both times points were dropped were on the road. The visitors were made to work hard for their 3 points against Porto and may just be a little sluggish in this one. Granada have yet to keep a clean sheet but they have also only failed to score in 2 of their 8 outings.
Smart Bets:
Real Madrid v Osasuna – Real Madrid and BTTS @ 15/8
Atlético Madrid v Real Sociedad – Atlético Madrid and Over 1.5 Goals @ 7/5
Granada v Barcelona – Barcelona and BTTS @ 6/4
Treble @ 16/1
