Liam Kelly looks to follow up a profitable opening weekend with more winners from the second round of La Liga matches, picking out two bets from the Sunday slate.
- Follow @LiamKellyTTA on Twitter
Football betting tips: La Liga
2pts Over 23.5 total shots in Athletic Club v Valencia at evens (Unibet)
2pts Over 12.5 Barcelona shots v Real Sociedad at 4/5 (Unibet)
Real Sociedad v Barcelona
- Kick-off time: 21:00 BST, Sunday
- TV channel: ITV4, Premier Sports 1, LaLigaTV
- Real Sociedad 12/5 | Draw 5/2 | Barcelona 11/10
Real Sociedad's defensive unit is far from flashy but was as solid as ever in the opening game of the new season, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Cádiz (xG: CAD 0.33 - 2.32 RSO).
Barcelona represent a completely different proposition, however, especially in their current guise.
Despite undoubtedly being disappointed with a 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou, there is reason to be encouraged by Barca's new look attack, taking 21 shots equating to 2.18 xG with some flat performances from some.
With a bit of rust dusted off, the OVER on a line of 12.5 BARCELONA SHOTS appears a value pick.
Real Sociedad will most certainly be challenging for a European spot this season, but their backline could face a barrage of shots against the most talented team in the league.
Xavi's side did look a little susceptible to allowing scoring chances against Rayo, but a goal conceded would not harm this selection in the slightest. If Barca score first, that opens the game up greatly for the likes of Ousmane Dembélé and Raphinha on the counter.
With the visitors set to dominate the ball as per usual, it's a big bonus that game state is unlikely to play a part in the settling of this bet.
Score prediction: Real Sociedad 1-2 Barcelona (Sky Bet odds: 7/1)
Odds correct 2100 BST (18/08/22)
Athletic Club v Valencia
- Kick-off time: 16:30 BST, Sunday
- TV channel: Premier Sports 1, LaLigaTV
- Athletic Club 4/6 | Draw 11/4 | Valencia 17/4
Ernesto Valverde will be pleased that Athletic Club are offered the opportunity to right the wrongs of their opening match, back at San Mames to face Gennaro Gattuso's Valencia.
Bilbao looked all too familiar to last term in Monday's return, missing good chances to win in the 0-0 draw against Mallorca (xG: BIL 2.02 - 0.54 MAL).
Athletic Club took 23 shots in that game, looking very dangerous until it came to hitting the back of the net, which brings us to the selection for this fixture.
The even money available at Unibet for OVER 23.5 TOTAL SHOTS in the match makes appeal considering Bilbao's opposition. Valencia will be a tougher test for the hosts, expected to stifle Bilbao more than Mallorca, but it's worth gambling on this being a pretty open game.
Despite Gennaro Gattuso's reputation as a player, his approach as a coach is refreshingly enterprising.
His start to La Liga life in Valencia went well, beating newly-promoted Girona 1-0. Although they were down a man for 40 minutes, Valencia still attempted 17 shots equating to 1.81 expected goals.
An entertaining match-up can be anticipated here, hopefully with plenty of shots on goal.
Score prediction: Athletic Club 1-1 Valencia (Sky Bet odds: 6/1)
Odds correct 1800 BST (18/08/22)
More from Sporting Life
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- Expert xG analysis and features
- Transfer news and done deals
- Football and other sports tips
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.