Savage gives us his thoughts on the pick of the matches in Spain’s Primera División as Barcelona look to stay within touching distance of Madrid
Cádiz v Real Betis
Wed 19 Oct 18:00
After starting the season with 5 straight losses that saw them concede 17 goals and score none, Cádiz finally managed to stop the rot and get some points on the board. However, 1 win and 3 consecutive draws is not exactly what a team needs when they are scrambling to get out of the relegation places. Their visitors on the other hand have a quiet efficiency about them that lends itself to a lot more W’s than L’s. A comfortable outing against new boys Almería saw Borja Iglesias edge into second on the league scoring charts just two behind Lewandowski. The Panda also registered his second assist of season setting up Carvalho for his sides third of the night. The Spaniard should enjoy an easy ride against a home side that is desperately struggling to find any sort of form.
Elche v Real Madrid
Wed 19 Oct 20:00
Los Blancos’ fans could not have imagined an easier outing for the 100th El Clásico match to be staged at their venerable stadium. The comfortable demolition of their apparent title rivals sets an ominous tone for the rest of the season. Their only points dropped so far this was in the 1-1 draw against Osasuna in which Benzema should have claimed all 3 points from 12 yards. The home side currently prop up the league table and should provide about as much resistance as a wet paper towel against the best team in Europe. No wins and just 3 draws from nine outings outlines the scale of the challenge facing Escribá’s team. The fact that they have not beaten their opponents in 9 previous attempts only means that neither past nor present form is on their side. Ancelotti could potentially tweak his side given their hosts lowly league position but it would take one hell of an upset to stop them claiming the win.
Barcelona v Villarreal
Thu 20 Oct 20:00
Barcelona have had a rough 7 days. It started with a scrappy win at home to Celta that briefly put them top of the league. It finished with them all but eliminated from the Champions League and their potential title challenge already hanging by a thread. Their 7 league wins on the bounce counted for naught as they were dismantled by their bitter rivals as well as falling 3 points behind them. Villarreal have not enjoyed as much domestic success (W4 D3 L2) as they have on their travels in Europe. An unblemished record of 6 wins shows yet again that Emery loves playing continental football no matter what the competition. Barcelona have yet to concede a goal at home this season, alebit against lowly opposition. However, Villarreal have not managed a goal in their last 4 games on the road. This could pose a challenge for El Submarino Amarillo but they definitely will not go down without a fight.
Bets:
Cádiz v Real Betis: Borja Iglesias Anytime goal or assist @ 7/5
Elche v Real Madrid: Real Madrid and U3.5 @ 6/5
Barcelona v Villarreal: Barcelona and U3.5 @ 6/4
The above in a treble is a little over 12/1 with Betfair.
