Soccer in Spain is back this weekend for a full slate of games for La Liga match day 1.
There will be a pair of games each day running from Thursday until Monday. The reigning champion Real Madrid, led by new star striker Kylian Mbappé, begin their title defense on Sunday at Mallorca.
Meanwhile, Barcelona are on the road at Valencia on Saturday before Monday’s headliner between Villarreal and Atlético Madrid. Athletic Club, Girona and Real Betis are all in action on Thursday.
With new stars joining the league, this should be another excellent season in Spain. So, let’s dive into the opening weekend preview with our La Liga picks and best bets.
La Liga Picks, La Liga Predictions
Action Network's La Liga Picks
My favorite play in Friday’s contests comes on the island where Las Palmas welcomes Sevilla to the Estadio Gran Canaria.
The fact that we are getting a home dog in this spot is something I can’t pass up, especially for a side that was very good at home last season.
In the last campaign, Palmas only lost three of nine games on the island against sides who finished in the bottom half of the league table.
Yes, Sevilla were one of those teams. However, this was before a very key player was sold over the summer.
Youssef En-Nesyri has been the club’s best striker over the last few seasons, which included a team-best 16 league goals last year. The replacement is former Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who only scored five goals in the EFL Championship last season.
This is too big of a hole to replace, and I think Las Palmas can at least avoid defeat in the first match of the campaign on the island.
Pick: Las Palmas PK (+110 via bet365)
If you thought Atlético would let Mbappe be the talk of the Spanish capital, you were wrong. Diego Simeone’s team has also bolstered its attack with some key arrivals this summer.
The headliner is the transfer of Julián Álvarez from Manchester City. The young striker has scored 16-plus goals in all competitions for the Cityzens in each of the last two seasons, while also helping Argentina lift the World Cup in 2022.
Álvarez is joined in the attack by Alexander Sørloth. The Norwegian striker makes his debut by returning to Villarreal where he finished just one goal back from the Golden Boot by racking up 23 goals.
Unfortunately, the Yellow Submarines haven’t replaced Sørloth. So, this keeps me away from the total going over 2.5 at -138.
I do still see goals in this match. If this were to go over, I believe we need Atlético to find the back of the net multiple times.
With this being one of the last games of the weekend, this should give Madrid plenty of time to get some work in with the new attackers. I like for Simeone’s side to get off to a fast start offensively with a good showing Monday.
