La Liga Matchday 17 Odds & Picks: Valencia-Real Madrid a Key Clash

• Match of the round pits surging Valencia (+255) against red-hot title contenders Real Madrid (-110) at La Mestalla in Sunday’s late game
• Towards the bottom of the table, Celta Vigo (-137) host Mallorca (+350) with a chance to crawl out of the relegation zone for the first time in months
• A top-five showdown is set for Saturday in San Sebastian, where Real Sociedad (+350) host Barcelona (-143)

Matchday 17 in Spain’s La Liga is upon us, with the usual suspects favored and some intriguing battles towards the bottom end of the league table. Here are three of the weekend’s most intriguing matchups.

Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona Odds

All odds taken Dec. 12

The first bolded clash of Matchday 17 kicks off Saturday at 10:00 am EST, as Real Sociedad (8-3-5) entertain co-leaders Barcelona (11-1-3).

It’s a matchup that has been dominated by Saturday’s visitors: Barça have won seven-straight meetings and three on the hop in San Sebastian.

Ernesto Valverde’s squad is on a tear, too, with a six-game winning streak across all competitions that includes some serious away results (1-0 at Atletico, 2-1 at Inter); Imanol’s Sociedad are a bit more inconsistent with just a single win in their last four outings (1-2-1).

Is it a trap game for Barcelona? No, Sociedad are a quality enough side — currently fourth in La Liga — but the Catalans should be good for the expected victory given their recent form and sheer quality in their squad.

Pick: Barcelona (-143)

Celta Vigo vs. Mallorca Odds

The players have called it a ‘cup final’ in the press this week, as Vigo (3-4-9) hosts Mallorca (2-4-10) with a chance to escape the drop zone.

There are questions about various Vigo players’ status — Denis Suarez is doubtful after suffering a knee injury in Matchday 16 — and manager Oscar Garcia has come under serious questioning after last week’s 3-2 loss at Leganes.

Taking a solitary point from Valladolid (H, 0-0) and Leganes (A, 2-3) is disappointing for the Celticos, and failing to claim all three points against a Mallorca outfit that’s pointless on the road (0-0-7) this season would be a catastrophe as Vigo aims to pull themselves from the relegation zone.

Mallorca are an entertaining team to watch, having gone over in their last six league matches while struggling for points (1-1-4).

Pick: Over (-114)

Valencia vs. Real Madrid Odds

The crown jewel of Matchday 17 sees a resurgent Valencia (7-5-4) host co-leaders Real Madrid (10-4-1) at one of Spain’s best venues.

Albert Celades’ Valencia are on an absolute tear, winners of four of their last five in domestic play and fresh off a stunning 1-0 midweek win in Holland over Ajax in Champions League play.

Maxi Gomez has led the line well for the club since joining from Vigo in the summer for 14.5M euro, and at +160 to score could be a good shout as the hosts’ top scorer (6).

Make no mistake: This is a very, very good Real team that fills the net in league play and has dropped just two points in its last six games (5-1-0) since a shocking loss at Mallorca back on October 19.

With that said, Valencia could offer value at home and in good form.

Pick: Valencia +0.5 (-110)