La Liga Matchday 16 Odds & Picks: Atletico Madrid vs Getafe, Bilbao vs Sociedad & More

• Following a weekend off during Christmas, La Liga returns with a vengeance on Tuesday with Matchday 16
• Atletico Madrid faces middling Getafe on Wednesday (1:15 pm ET) in a minor Madrid derby, while Real Madrid — tied with the rojiblancos for first place on 32 pts. — visits  Elche later in the day (3:30 pm)
• Get all the odds and best bets for Matchday 16 in Spain’s La Liga below

Atletico Madrid continue to surge ahead in domestic play, with steady wins over Elche (3-1) and more recently Real Sociedad (2-0) putting the memory of Dec. 12th’s 0-2 derby loss to Real Madrid out of mind.

Diego Simeone’s side has dominated Getafe in the last decade, dropping zero points and incredibly allowing zero goals against the latter in 12 matches dating back to 2013; Atleti will be heavily favored and the goals market will be cold entering their Matchday 16 contest.

Following a 1-1 draw at Getafe last week, Celta Vigo is now undefeated in five under new manager Eduardo Coudet; a visit from last-place Huesca to Balaidos on Wednesday (1:15 pm) could offer bettors value.

Elsewhere, Thursday’s Basque Derby (8:00 am) between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad with the latter in free fall will be a fascinating contest to watch.

La Liga Matchday 16 Odds

All odds taken Dec 28 at DraftKings

Pick 1: Atletico Madrid vs Getafe

Atletico Madrid (10-2-1) has been nothing short of a machine through (roughly) the opening third of the 2020-21 season; Simeone’s side has conceded just five times in 13 games (0.38/gm) and sports a Liga-best plus-21 goal differential.

Getafe (4-5-5) is plodding along under Jose Bordalas, pragmatic by requirement due to an underwhelming offence that averages 0.85 goals/game.

At 1.92, Getafe is one of three teams whose matches have seen an average of sub-2.00 total goals — the others being Sevilla (1.92) and Eibar (1.73).

The historic trend here is monumentally slanted towards Atleti: 12 league wins on the trot, never conceding at any point. It’s as though Simeone has Getafe and its stifling approach nailed perfectly.

Pick: Atletico Madrid to Win to Nil (-109)

Pick 2: Celta Vigo vs Huesca

Coudet’s Celta Vigo (5-5-5) has surged up the league table in recent weeks, removing the club from the relegation conversation and reigniting once-dead European ambition.

It’s Vigo’s form at home since the appointment of Coudet – 3-0-0, with nine goals for and only one against – which supports the idea of backing them to score a bunch in Matchday 16.

Huesca (1-9-5) remains unable to find the key goal at the right time, and draws in 60% of its games have left Michel’s side rock-bottom in La Liga; winless away from home (0-5-3), the Oscenses average 3.0 total goals per game – 1.0 for, 2.0 against – in said away matches.

Celta won the only previous first division matchup between the two, 2-0, back in Dec. 2018.

Pick: Over 2.5 (-107)

Pick 3: Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad

Athletic Bilbao (5-3-7) has had an average season to-date, though there are signs that change may be in the air: Credible performances over its last four league games (2-1-1) – including a valiant 10-man effort in a loss at Real Madrid – hint at mid-table stability through the middle part of the season.

It’s been eight matches across all competitions and nearly five weeks since Real Sociedad (7-5-3) won a soccer match. and three consecutive league losses have sent Imanol’s side tumbling out of the title race.

The home side has won each of the last three league meetings between the two – though any sort of home field advantage should be taken with a large grain of salt, given Spain’s league-wide trend behind closed doors this season (39% home win rate, vs. 46% last season).

With that said, and considering multiple factors – both teams’ respective form, Bilbao’s already having claimed a Top-5 scalp (Sevilla) at home this season and the value on offer – we like Bilbao at home with DNB protection.

PICK: Athletic Bilbao DNB (+108)