The World Cup is over. It’s time to accept it and move on. The thing is that the top European leagues don’t return until next week. In fact, the Serie A and the Bundesliga don’t return until January. On the bright side, that gives us time to check what has happened so far, including which teams are in the front seat and who are the favorites to win the Golden Boot.
La Liga will resume with Barcelona as the betting online favorite, but Real Madrid will not give up easily.
Let’s check the latest Spain La Liga picks, stats, injury reports, and Spain La Liga predictions. We’ve plenty of Spain La Liga expert picks for you to consider.
Crème de la Crème
Over the last 20 seasons, Barcelona has won the La Liga title 10 times, while Real Madrid won it seven times. In other words, beating the two powerhouses is practically impossible, with Atletico Madrid and Valencia being the only ones who could do it.
After 14 games in the 2022-23 campaign, Barcelona is atop the standings with 37 points. Los Azulgranas own a 12-1-1 record, 33 goals for and five against. They remain unbeaten when playing at home and no other team has allowed fewer goals than them.
Curiously enough, their only loss was against Real Madrid (3-1), while their only draw was against Rayo Vallecano (0-0). They’ll return to action on December 31 against Espanyol, a team they beat in seven of their last 10 meetings.
Los Azulgranas are offering a -200 price in the sportsbook to win the title. Not bad, considering there’s still a long way to go.
Real Madrid is second with 35 points. Los Blancos, the reigning champions, own an 11-2-1 record, 33 goals for and 14 against. Their only loss was against Rayo Vallecano (3-2) on the road, while they drew to Girona (1-1) and Osasuna at Santiago Bernabeu.
Like Barcelona, Los Blancos are unbeaten when playing at home, but their next match is on the road. They’ll face Valladolid on December 30, a team they haven’t lost to in their last 10 encounters.
Real Madrid is offering a +150 price to win the title. That’s a really good deal to include in your soccer picks because it’s very likely it will change soon.
At the Bottom
We also need to talk about the relegation zone. Believe it or not, Elche C.F. hasn’t won a single game. Los Franjiverdes are last with four points thanks to a 0-4-11 record, 10 goals for and 31 against. No other team has allowed more goals than them, but at least they’ve scored one more than Cadiz.
Speaking of Cadiz, Los Piratas are also in the relegation zone. They own a 2-5-7 record, nine goals for and 26 against. They defeated Atletico Madrid (3-2) and Valladolid (1-0). Los Franjiverdes are offering a -2000 price to be relegated, while Los Piratas are -200.
Finally, we have Sevilla. Los Rojiblancos also own a 2-5-7 record. They’ve scored 13 goals and have allowed 22. We’re talking about a team that played in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage and will play in the UEFA Europa League Playoff. In other words, they shouldn’t be in the relegation zone. Los Rojiblancos defeated Mallorca (1-0) and Espanyol (3-2).
Top Goalscorer
Prior to the start of the season, Robert Lewandowski was the soccer betting favorite to finish as the top goalscorer. Well, he hasn’t had any trouble meeting expectations. Lewandowski, who plays for Barcelona, has scored 13 goals. He alone has scored more goals than Elche and Cadiz in total. He’s offering a -1600 price to win the Golden Boot. However, he won’t be able to play the next match due to suspension but will return to action highly motivated after scoring his first goal in a World Cup in Qatar 2022.
Borja Iglesias (Real Betis) and Vedat Muriqi (Mallorca) come second with eight goals each. Iglesias is offering a +2000 price to finish the season atop the scoring chart.
What about Karim Benzema or any Real Madrid players? Well, Benzema has been struggling with injuries all season long, which is why he has scored only five goals. Federico Valverde and Vinicius Junior scored more, with six goals each. Even so, Benzema offers a +1000 price to win the Golden Boot, while Junior is +2500.
