La Liga Matchday 23 Odds & Picks: Barcelona vs Alaves, Real Madrid vs Valencia & More

• Atletico’s shock 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo has narrowed the Colchoneros‘ lead atop Spain’s La Liga to just five points over Real Madrid, though Atleti does still have two games in-hand
• Atleti travels to struggling Granada on Saturday (8:00 am ET), while Real hosts Valencia on Sunday (10:15 am) and third-place Barcelona — fresh off a stinging 2-0 cup defeat mid-week — hosts Alaves on Saturday (3:00 pm)
• Get all the odds and best bets for La Liga Matchday 23 in Spain’s La Liga below

Atleti remains wholly in the driver’s seat ahead of La Liga Matchday 23, tipped at -286 by DraftKings to win Spanish first division with Barcelona (+450) and Real Madrid (+550) both seen as long shots.

Both Real and Barcelona will be expected to take full points from their respective home matches against bottom half opposition this weekend, while Atleti should return to the win column

At the other end of the table, Friday’s opener featuring Celta Vigo and Elche (12:30 pm) offers significant storylines and value betting plays.

La Liga Matchday 23 Odds

All odds taken Feb 11 at DraftKings

Celta Vigo vs Elche Prediction

It’s been a rollercoaster few months for Celta Vigo (6-8-8), which enjoyed an initial boom period following Coudet’s appointment as manager in November but he’s not won a match in seven outings since the new year.

Elche (3-9-8) has not won a league match since a 2-1 victory over Valencia on October 23, and is winless in a whopping 15 (0-8-7) contests. The winter transfer window closed without reinforcements, leaving manager Almiron in a difficult position with a squad that is clearly not good enough to compete in La Liga.

An early Fidel Chaves penalty earned Elche a 1-1 draw at home in the November 6 reverse fixture, though Celta outshot their hosts 6-1 that day and likely deserved a better fate.

With Iago Aspas (+102) and Santi Mina (+118) expected to lead the line for the hosts on Friday, either could be a strong ‘To Score’ play against Elche’s leaky backline — which has surrendered multiple goals in four of five league outings.

Pick: Iago Aspas to Score (+102)

Barcelona vs Alaves Prediction

It’s easy to look at Saturday’s La Liga Matchday 23 Barcelona (13-4-4) vs Alaves (5-7-10) contest and see goals, lots of them.

Prior to the 1-1 draw earlier this season at Mendizorrotza (October 31), the Blaugrana had won eight straight meetings between the two since 2017 and averaged 3.38 goals/game in the process.

Yes, Alaves has shored things up defensively lately with two clean sheets and four points from six over the last two matchdays.

But Getafe (0-0) and Valladolid (1-0) are two of La Liga’s poorest attacking teams — and Saturday’s visitors had conceded multiple goals in each of their four league matches prior to those two results. Most damning: A comprehensive 4-1 defeat at home against Real Madrid on January 23.

Expect Barça to pour it on, with both the Over 3.5 (+130) and Antoine Griezmann to Score (+138) offering good value. At -152, Lionel Messi to Score is a little short for our liking.

Pick: Griezmann to Score (+138)

Real Madrid vs Valencia Prediction

In recent years, Valencia (5-9-8) has given Real Madrid (14-4-4) all it could handle.

A shock 4-1 win at La Mestalla earlier this season surprised even Valencia’s fans, but the Murcielagos have shown an ability to nip results off their top-tier opponents regularly in recent seasons.

It’s important to note that this is not the Valencia of years past: The squad is depleted, and comprehensive defeats to Atletico (1-3) and Sevilla (0-3) in recent weeks have called into question the club’s ability to compete with Spain’s top four teams.

With that said, Madrid has started slow in its last few outings — and Valencia may have enough to hang around early. Betting on a close first half could be a play on Sunday on La Liga Matchday 23.

Pick: First Half – Valencia +0.5 (-115)