La Liga Soccer Best Bets: Favorite Plays For August 13, 14 & 15, 2022

La Liga returns this weekend with 10 games split across four days and there are already so many questions that need answering. How will Real Madrid bounce back after being spurned by Kylian Mbappe, who preferred to stay in France? How will Barcelona register all of their new signings? How will the newly promoted teams such as Almeria perform this season?

There’s just so much uncertainty heading into the new year, but we’ll have our answers once the games have begun. So, will Real Madrid find things quite as easy this season or can Barcelona get back to the top of La Liga? Read below as we break down the very best bets of La Liga's opening weekend. 

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Visit our La Liga Bet Hub for information on all of the matches you'll see this week. 

Week 1 La Liga Best Bets

Rayo Vallecano vs. Barcelona Best Bet

Kickoff: Saturday, August 13 at 1:00PM ET
Play: Draw (+600 at DraftKings)

What is there to say at Barcelona at this point? Watching from the outside looking in it seems as if the club has gone crazy. They finished 13 points behind Real Madrid last season but with the arrival of Xavi as manager it felt like the club were finally moving in the right direction.

Barcelona’s financial difficulties were well known and the club had a choice between trying to solve them by relying on the excellent La Masia academy, or just ignoring them. Sadly, they’ve chosen the latter. Now the season is nearly here and Barcelona still haven’t been able to register all of the talent that they’ve signed over summer.

This is a ridiculous situation and it’s something that could play into the hands of Rayo Vallecano. Barca are the better team but with all the dysfunction around the club it only improves the chances of the visitors who at +600 could offer value, especially given that they won both games 1-0 last season.

Real Madrid vs. Almeria Best Bet

Kickoff: Sunday, August 14 at 4:00PM ET
Play: Alejandro Pozo to get booked (+500 at Bet365)

Newly promoted Almeria host the champions on Sunday and Real Madrid will be confident after winning the UEFA Super Cup in the middle of the week. The club will be hurting from being turned down by Kylian Mbappe in the summer but they still have one of the best forward lines around, with the brilliant Benzema flanked by Brazilian Vinicius Junior and the hardworking Federico Valverde.

That’s going to be a tough ask to stop but we saw from Almeria last year that they’re well coached defensively, conceding just 33 goals in 42 games in La Liga 2 on their way to promotion. This is a solid team who can all keep their shape and make things difficult for Real Madrid.

I’ve decided to back Alejandro Pozo, the rightback, to get booked on Sunday at the big price of +500. The 23-year fullback has had plenty of experience in the lower tiers of Spanish soccer but hasn’t played regularly against players of this level and the speed and guile of Vinicius Junior could make him come unstuck.

Getafe vs. Atletico Madrid Best Bet

Kickoff: Monday, August 15 at 11:30AM ET
Play: Atletico Madrid to win (-110 at Bet365)

This isn’t a vintage Atletico Madrid team, but they don’t need to be because they’re still clearly amongst the best teams in La Liga and will have more than enough to beat Getafe on the road on Monday.

Getafe’s 4-4-2 will be no match for the attack of Atletico, who boast Joao Felix, Antoine Griezmann and the returning Alvaro Morata. You can expect them to create the chances needed to score and for Diego Simeone to keep the team tight enough at the back to stop Getafe from scoring.