La Liga Best Bets – May 13 & 14

Alaves arrive for their latest La Liga game in real trouble after failing to put their foot down in the battle to avoid relegation. With Girona now a point clear of the in the battle to avoid the drop, Alaves are in desperate need of a win. With only three games of the season left to come, it is now or never. 

At home, Alaves have been fairly good, only losing five of their 17 outings. However, their six wins and six draws at home have failed to make up for their poor away form. More worrying still will be their recent form against Barcelona, with Alaves losing their last five and failing to win any of their last 17 meetings (L15, D2). With Alaves in desperate need of points, Barcelona coming to town for this one is the last thing they need. 

Newly crowned La Liga champions Barcelona may have their names etched into the trophy, but they will not likely want to take their foot off the accelerator. With a maximum of nine points left on offer, Barca can really underline their dominance by winning each of their final three and securing 100 points across a superb campaign. 

Away from home Barcelona boast the best record in the league. They have won 12 of their 17, drawing once and losing four times. The 37 points they have picked up shows they have been incredibly tough to beat on the road, and I predict a 13th away win this weekend. Both sides have scored in Alaves’ last eight matches, and I back there to be some complacency from Barca following their title win.

It has not been Real Madrid’s season, with an inability to seriously contest in the Champions League coming alongside a limp attempt at winning the La Liga crown. While they have secured 77 points from 35 games, they are 14 short of the leaders in the clearest indication that Real have been second best all season. 

With the trophy out of reach, pride is on the line. At home, Real have won 14 of their 17 matches, losing twice and drawing once. With the home fans unlikely to take too kindly to their disappointing season, I predict that Real will go all out to ensure they win their penultimate home match of the campaign. 

Real Oviedo slipped nine points short of Girona in 17th with three games to come as their woeful campaign continued. 

Away from home, only Elche (seven points) and Mallorca (nine points) have picked up fewer than Oviedo’s 10 points, with the side struggling for consistent points. Their torrid time on the road will not likely get any better this week as they take on a Madrid side looking to salvage some pride. With the writing on the wall for the travelling team, I am backing them to see over 2.5 goals in a clash with Real for the fourth consecutive time.