La Liga Matchday 1 Odds & Picks: Mallorca vs Real Betis, Barcelona vs Real Sociedad & More

• The 2021/22 La Liga campaign begins on Friday, with Valencia and Getafe kicking off the action
• The rest of the games will run from Saturday through Monday, with Barcelona entering the post-Lionel Messi era against Real Sociedad in their opener
• Get the full odds for all fixtures and three previews below

After a fun-filled summer consisting of Euro 2020 and Copa America, domestic football is back. Along with most of the top leagues in Europe, La Liga Matchday 1 returns to action this weekend.

Read on to find the full odds for all ten games along with three previews and their best bets.

La Liga Matchday 1 Odds

Odds as of August 12th at DraftKings

Mallorca vs Real Betis Prediction

Newly-promoted Mallorca welcomes Real Betis to the Iberostar Stadium on Saturday in La Liga Matchday 1. It was a short time in the second division for the hosts, spending the 2019/20 campaign in the top flight as well.

https://twitter.com/RCD_Mallorca/status/1424452323909283846

Last term, Mallorca finished as runners-up to Espanyol after a very impressive season. They had one of the finest backlines in the Segunda, conceding just 28 times in 42 appearances. Talisman Abdon Prats was the leading catalyst in the final third, bagging 10 goals. Pre-season action was respectable for Luis Garcia’s side, going 4-0-1, with their only defeat coming against Huesca.

Real Betis had a very solid campaign in 2020/21, securing sixth spot and a place in the Europa League after previously appearing in the competition two years ago, where they bowed out in the round of 32. Manuel Pelligrini’s men ended last season on an 11-match unbeaten run, which certainly played a key part in booking their ticket in Europe.

Real Betis decided to go full retro on Saturday night ⚪️🟢 pic.twitter.com/inJ73jfDpX

— Secret Shirt Co (@secretshirtco) August 10, 2021

While Betis suffered several losses in tune-up games to the likes of Derby County, Almeria, and Wolves, their latest game should give them much-needed momentum heading into this weekend, burying Jose Mourinho’s Roma, 5-2.

Mallorca has a solid track record in La Liga openers, winning their last three, while Betis has come out victorious in just one of their last seven. However, the visitors have been the more dominant side in this encounter, losing only three times in the last 10 meetings.

Pick: Real Betis +125

Barcelona vs Real Sociedad Prediction

A new-look Barca squad will look to get started on the right foot when they welcome Real Sociedad to Camp Nou on Sunday in La Liga Matchday 1. It’s been a very sad week for the club as Lionel Messi departed for PSG due to financial problems. It’s hard to know what to expect from the La Liga giants without their superstar, but Barca did bring in some key signings.

🔵🔴 Memphis Depay impressing in pre-season 🔥#UCL pic.twitter.com/B2thqQLsYr

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 9, 2021

Memphis Depay joined from Lyon, giving them another clinical finisher who has proven himself in Europe. The Catalans also signed Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero from Man City, with the latter hoping to bring his Premier League greatness to Spain. Barcelona will be looking to contend for a La Liga title this season after finishing in third place in 2020/21, a whole seven points off Atletico.

Sociedad will be coming into the La Liga with no shortage of confidence after qualifying for Europa and even winning the Copa del Rey, which was postponed from the 2019/20 season. However, they’ve struggled immensely against Barca, failing to win in their last 10 league clashes.

🙌 @LaLigaEN starts this week!#AurreraReala

— Real Sociedad 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 (@RealSociedadEN) August 11, 2021

Imanol Iguacil’s side has a lethal strike duo up top though who wreaked havoc last season in Alexander Isak and Mikel Oyarzabal. The two combined for 28 goals and 10 assists and are a handful for any team in La Liga.

Barcelona is unbeaten in 19 matches against Basque-based clubs, winning 17 times and drawing twice. However, the loss of their best player ever is definitely still affecting them. Sociedad is a quality side and I think you’re going to see them pull out a draw here on the road.

Pick: Draw +300

Villarreal vs Granada Prediction

Unai Emery’s Villarreal gets started on La Liga Matchday 1 with a home encounter against Granada. The Yellow Submarine might have finished in seventh spot in La Liga last season, but they were extremely impressive in Europe.

Villarreal heroically beat Manchester United in the Europa final in May in penalties. That set up a Super Cup clash with Chelsea on Wednesday, where the ultimate prize was also decided on spot-kicks. The Premier League giants ultimately came out victorious, but Emery’s men now get the chance to be in the Champions League next month.

However, ahead of Monday’s fixture, Villarreal has been struggling. They didn’t win once in six pre-season appearances then also lost to the Blues. The Europa title-holders will need to figure things out very quickly.

Granada secured a top-half finish last term and even made it to the quarterfinals of Europa, losing to the Red Devils 4-0 across two legs. Roberto Moreno’s men were extremely poor defensively in 2020/21, conceding 65 times in 38 games while scoring just 47 times.

Granada lost only once in pre-season but has an atrocious record against Villarreal in recent memory, failing to win in their last 10 clashes. The visitors, however, are typically solid in La Liga openers, while the hosts are not. Nevertheless, I expect the Yellow Submarine to finally secure a victory after a disappointing string of results leading up to the season.

Pick: Villarreal -190