The 2026/27 La Liga campaign continues across Friday the 18th, Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th of September with four fixtures catching our eye. Espanyol host Elche, Athletic Bilbao welcome Alaves, Sevilla face Barcelona before Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid go head-to-head. We cover all four encounters from a betting angle below.
Let’s begin with a glance at the Outright Betting Market where defending champions Barcelona remain favourites to retain the trophy at 1.40, while Real Madrid trade at 3.00 and Atletico Madrid are available at 21.00, with the balance are priced at 67.00 and greater.
FRIDAY:
ESPANYOL vs ELCHE
Espanyol occupy 8th position after collecting 7 points from six league matches. Their latest outing ended in a 2-1 defeat away to Rayo Vallecano, bringing an end to a brief two match unbeaten spell.
The side previously earned an impressive 2-0 victory at Osasuna after drawing 1-1 with Sevilla and Espanyol have now scored 9 goals this season, although three defeats and trouble on defence underline their inconsistency.
Elche remain at the bottom of the standings with only 2 points from six fixtures. They pushed Real Madrid in their most recent match but eventually suffered a narrow 3-2 home defeat.
That result came after a creditable 1-1 draw away to Athletic Bilbao. However, Elche are still searching for their first league victory and have conceded 16 goals, including 5 against Barcelona while being unable to add to the scoreboard themselves.
Head-to-Head
Espanyol are unbeaten in the last six meetings, recording three victories and three draws. They claimed a 1-0 home win last season before the reverse fixture ended in a 2-2 draw.
Betting – click here to bet
Espanyol 1.91
Draw 3.65
Elche 4.25
Verdict
Elche have shown more attacking promise recently but remain vulnerable defensively and are yet to register a win this season. Espanyol have dominated the recent head-to-head record and should make home advantage count against the division’s bottom side and I believe they will come out triumphant.
BET: Espanyol to Win at 1.91
SATURDAY:
ATHLETIC BILBAO vs ALAVES
Athletic Bilbao begin the weekend in 9th position with 7 points from five matches. They were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Elche last time out after producing two impressive victories.
Bilbao defeated Atletico Madrid 3-0 at home and Celta Vigo 2-0 away, keeping clean sheets in both encounters. Those performances showed their potential although they have already suffered defeats against Barcelona and Sevilla.
Alaves sit three places above their opponents after gathering 10 points from six games. They made a strong start to the campaign but enter this fixture following consecutive defeats.
A 2-1 loss to Racing Santander came after a narrow 1-0 home defeat against Valencia. Before that dip in form, Alaves had beaten Villarreal and produced an entertaining 5-2 victory over Osasuna while also drawing 1-1 with Alaves.
Head-to-Head
Athletic Bilbao have won three of the previous six encounters, while Alaves have collected two victories and one match has ended level. Bilbao won the latest meeting 4-2 away, although Alaves claimed a 1-0 victory on their last league visit to this venue.
Betting – click here to bet
Athletic Bilbao 1.69
Draw 4.00
Alaves 5.25
Verdict
Alaves have enjoyed the better overall start but arrive after losing twice in quick succession. Athletic Bilbao have recently beaten Atletico Madrid comfortably at home and should produce a stronger display than seen in their draw with Elche and I am backing them to clinch a low scoring affair.
BET: Result and Totals – Athletic Bilbao and Under 4.5 Goals at 1.93
SEVILLA vs BARCELONA
Sevilla have climbed to 4th position in the standings and possess 13 points from six outings. They enter this demanding contest after recording consecutive 1-0 victories over Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna.
The hosts have now taken 7 points from their last four fixtures, with their only defeat of the campaign coming against Atletico Madrid. Sevilla have also conceded just 6 goals and will rely on this stability in order to slow down the league leaders.
Barcelona remain in solid after six matches, winning every fixture while scoring an extraordinary 28 goals and they strengthened their position at the summit with a dominant 7-2 victory over Racing Santander on Wednesday.
That performance followed further convincing wins over Levante, Valencia and Rayo Vallecano. Barcelona have notably scored at least four times in each of their last four matches and continue to overwhelm opponents with their attacking quality.
Head-to-Head
Barcelona have secured five victories across the last six meetings, while Sevilla have won once. The champions recorded a 5-2 home triumph in the most recent encounter, although Sevilla produced a memorable 4-1 victory when the teams last met at this venue in their first meeting last season.
Betting – click here to bet
Sevilla 12.00
Draw 8.00
Barcelona 1.21
Verdict
Sevilla approach the contest in excellent form and have become increasingly difficult to break down. Barcelona’s attacking numbers are exceptional though and their six match winning run makes them difficult to oppose despite Sevilla’s strong start. I believe Sevilla will be able to weather the initial attacks from Barcelona but the flood gates will open thereafter and Barcelona will pick up another dominant victory.
BET: Halftime/Fulltime, Draw/Barcelona at 5.00
SUNDAY:
ATLETICO MADRID vs REAL MADRID
Atletico Madrid sit 3rd on the table with 13 points from six fixtures. They have responded emphatically to their defeat against Athletic Bilbao by recording back-to-back victories without conceding.
Atletico first secured an impressive 3-0 win away to Real Sociedad before cruising past Osasuna 4-0. They have now scored 14 goals this season and possess the opportunity to move above their city rivals with another victory.
Real Madrid occupy 2nd position after taking 15 points from their opening six matches. They have recovered from a surprise 1-0 defeat against Real Betis by winning their last two assignments.
Madrid swept Rayo Vallecano aside 4-1 before edging Elche 3-2 away from home earlier this week. The visitors have produced 17 goals overall, although conceding twice against the bottom side exposed defensive weaknesses ahead of the derby.
Head-to-Head
Real Madrid hold the narrow advantage across the previous six encounters with three victories, while Atletico Madrid have won once and two matches have finished level. Their most recent meeting came in the Spanish Super Cup, where Real Madrid earned a 2-1 win.
The teams produced plenty of goals in their two league meetings last season. Atletico won 5-2 at home before Real Madrid responded with a 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture.
Betting – click here to bet
Atletico Madrid 3.50
Draw 4.00
Real Madrid 2.00
Verdict
Both teams enter the derby after consecutive victories and there is little separating them in the standings. Atletico have scored seven goals without reply across their last two matches but Real Madrid have won three of the previous six meetings between the clubs and I think they possess enough attacking firepower to edge another competitive encounter.
BET: Real Madrid to Win at 2.00
Note: All prices are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.
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