Valencia is the place to be on Friday 13th August for the 2021/22 La Liga curtain-raiser when Getafe are the visitors to the Mestalla.
The two teams finished 13th and 15th respectively last season, with Getafe just four points above the drop zone and both teams will target this opening fixture for points.
The early La Liga 2021 results won’t necessarily define the coming season for any club, but everyone wants to make a good start and this is a great opener to get the competition up and running.
We’re predicting a tight affair with Valencia at SBOTOP odds of 2.36 and Getafe at 2.72. The draw at 2.97 wouldn’t be a bad outcome for either, though if fans are back in the Mestalla Stadium, it’s an imposing place and they will demand nothing less than a victory.
So we’ll be off and running very soon. Let’s take a look at four more mouthwatering fixtures which we can look forward to over the opening few weeks.
Barcelona vs Real Sociedad (August 15, 2021)
The pre-season La Liga 2021 betting odds have placed the Blaugrana as marginal favourites to wrestle the title away from Atletico Madrid at a price of 2.30, but only marginally ahead of Real Madrid at 2.50.
After a disappointing campaign, Barca have been working furiously in the transfer market and are yet to make as much headway as they’d hoped. But the arrival of Sergio Aguero at the Camp Nou can’t fail to excite the Catalan fans.
At the moment, the board is working hard to come to an agreement with Lionel Messi and will want to get that resolved before the season begins.
The Catalans open up with a good test against Real Sociedad. A fifth-placed finish for La Real in the 20/21 campaign wasn’t too bad but they would have hoped for more after a brilliant start saw them leading the table into the autumn.
The signing of David Silva was instrumental in the club’s electric opening as he pulled together a talented attack in which Mikel Oyarzabal remains the star man. But with the quality of Willian Jose and Portu in the side, this is a team which can push for a top four place again.
Head coach Imanol AIguacil has picked up Brighton keeper Matt Ryan in the transfer window and he could make a start against Barca.
Atletico Madrid vs Villarreal (August 29, 2021)
Reigning champions Atletico Madrid are third favourites to win the 2021/22 title at odds of 4.50 and they have already signalled their intentions in the transfer market.
The £35-M signing of Rodrigo De Paul from Udinese could be a shrewd signing. The Argentine was superb in the Copa America, winning plaudits throughout the competition, and he provided the killer pass for Angel Di Maria to score the winner in the final.
Midfield general Koke will lead the side again and Atleti will play a big part in what we anticipate will be a three-horse race again.
The Yellow Submarine have let forward Carlos Bacca go to Granada and they have brought in £12-M striker Boulaye Dia from French club Reims. Head coach Unai Emery will hope that the Senegalese poacher will help his team improve on their seventh-placed finish last term.
24-year-old Pau Torres is one of the best centre-backs in the league and is already making his name for the Spanish international team which reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020.
Sevilla vs Barcelona (September 12, 2021)
Another stiff test for the Blaugrana presents itself in mid September when they head to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium to face Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla, who finished fourth in the table last term and were in the title race until the penultimate week.
Captained by Seville legend Jesus Navas and with the quality of France defender Jules Kounde and Argentine striker Lucas Ocampos in the side, Sevilla have a great chance of securing Champions League football once again.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid (October 3, 2021)
Having bounced back at the first attempt following a shock relegation in 2020, Espanyol will be keen to make their mark on the 2021/22 campaign.
The club had spent 26 years in the top-flight before their relegation and they will rely heavily on the goals of former Real Madrid youngster Raul de Tomas, who was the Segunda Division top scorer with 23 goals as Espanyol won the title.
New Los Blancos head coach Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most successful managers in European football and he could be the man to get the best out of Eden Hazard, whose career in Madrid has been stop-start and hampered by injury.
Real Madrid have relied heavily on the goals of Karim Benzema over the past two seasons and been told they must stump up 50-M Euros to bring FC Bayern goal machine Robert Lewandowski to the Santiago Bernabeu.
If the Pole arrives in Madrid, then there could be fireworks.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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