La Liga Matchday 14 Odds & Picks: Barcelona, Real Madrid anchor material

• Barcelona (-244) offer some value both straight-up and against a 1.5 spread (-104) as they visit last-place Leganes (+618) in the early game on Saturday
• Real Madrid (-270) face intriguing but still favorable matchup at home on Saturday vs. Real Sociedad (+558), which overachieved early but since descended back to earth in recent weeks
• Check our La Liga Matchday 14 preview below with odds and predictions for the the weekend’s best matches

It’s Matchday 14 in Spain’s La Liga and we’re breaking down some best bets from some of the weekend’s most exciting matches.

Leganes vs Barcelona Odds

*All odds taken 11/22/19

It’s the worst team in Spain’s top flight against the best, and we suggest bettors play it as such.

Barcelona (8-1-3) has won four of its last five in league play while also going 4-1 ATS in that time; Leganes (1-3-9) is coming off a credible 1-1 draw at Sociedad, but still sits seven points deep in the relegation zone and should be avoided at all costs.

It’s expected to be close to a full-strength squad for Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona, with the full attacking power of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann expected to be on display at Butarque against a porous Leganes defence that’s allowed a jaw-dropping 22 goals — second-worst in La Liga.

It’s worth noting Leganes could be without multiple first-team players as Recio (suspension), Kevin Rodrigues (suspension) and Ruben Perez (injury) are all unlikely to feature.

With the hosts flagging despite new manager Javi Aguirre, and Barcelona eager to avoid another pitfall away like the debacle at Granada earlier this season, expect La Liga’s leaders to put the hammer down in suburban Madrid come Saturday.

PICK: Barcelona -1.5 (-104)

Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad Odds

The battle of the reals takes center stage at Madrid’s vaunted Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Saturday, as a surging Real Madrid (7-4-1) hosts a slipping but still very much in the mix Real Sociedad (7-2-4).

It’s been a wild beginning to the 2019-20 La Liga campaign, and Sociedad — avg. finish: 10th over the past four seasons — hanging around the top of the table is one of many examples of that.

Part of that wild beginning is due to smaller clubs like Sociedad, Granada and Bilbao punching above their weight, but the other key factor is serious dropped points by the big three.

Real has alternated between thrashing opponents (5-0 v. Leganes, 4-0 at Eibar) and stuttering to dropped points (0-0 v. Betis, 0-1 at Mallorca) on a weekly basis.

With that said, Imanol’s Sociedad squad has by no means looked sharp with a draw and loss at home in recent weeks. Use Madrid as an anchor, but steer clear of that spread just based on the hosts’ inconsistency in November.

Pick: Real Madrid (-270)

Villareal vs Celta Vigo Odds

While none of the ‘big three’ are in action on Sunday, there are still five matchups for bettors to weigh in on, including a fascinating clash between Villareal (5-3-5) and relegation fodder Celta Vigo (2-3-8).

On the one hand, Celta have probably underperformed this season; on the other, Villareal is undefeated at home in 2019-20 and boasts the second-best attack (26 GF) in La Liga.

Vigo have dropped five league games on the trot, and fallen four points into the relegation zone in the process. Villareal are holding steady in mid-table, and sit just two points out of Europe — despite taking just one point from their last three games (0-1-2).

Looking at the goals total, Sunday’s hosts have gone over in three of their last four while Vigo have done the same in two of their last three. Expect an open affair.

PICK: OVER 2.5 (-104)