La Liga Matchday 28 Odds & Picks: Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid, Real Sociedad vs Barcelona & More

• More dropped points last weekend saw Atletico Madrid’s lead atop La Liga shaved down to just four points over Barcelona, with local rival Real Madrid a further two points behind the Blaugrana
• Atleti faces a must-win at home against lowly Alaves on Sunday (1:30 pm ET), while Real and Barça face tricky away tests to Celta (11:15 am, Saturday) and Sociedad (4:00 pm, Sunday) respectively
• Get all the odds and best bets for La Liga Matchday 28 in Spain’s La Liga below

Following Atleti’s disappointing 0-0 draw at Getafe last weekend, the title race in the Spanish top division is officially back on entering La Liga Matchday 28.

Diego Simeone’s league-leading Colchoneros are a surprisingly long -286 at home against an Alaves side that is winless in five (0-1-4), while Real Madrid (-122 at Celta) and Barcelona (+102 at Sociedad) both face significantly tougher tests on the road.

At the other end of the table, Getafe hosts Elche on Sunday (9:00 am) with each dangerously close to the relegation zone and recording a solitary win in its last five.

Given Atleti’s inability to close out results — or follow recent historic trends — of late, we are going to steer clear of the league leaders in this week’s featured matches.

La Liga Matchday 28 Odds

All odds taken Mar 17 at DraftKings

Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid Prediction

Two draws from its last three league matches has left Real Madrid (17-6-4) slightly behind Spain’s other two title contenders entering a La Liga Matchday 28 visit to Celta Vigo (8-10-9), which has finally found mediocrity after a boom-and-bust first half of the season.

Los Blancos are in excellent offensive form, with 3-1 and 2-1 wins over Atalanta (Champions League) and Elche in the rearview mirror and 23 away goals this season — the second-most in La Liga behind only Barcelona.

Celta’s calling card of late for bettors has been its sheer unpredictability, with smashed overs (3-1 vs Elche, 4-3 at Huesca) contrasting with defensive battles (0-0 vs Athletic, 1-1 vs Valladolid) in recent weeks. That’s to say nothing of the string of results — D W D L W — which has made predictions difficult.

Saturday’s hosts have scored in three of their last four home matches; Real has scored in six consecutive road matches, bringing the both teams to score (BTTS) play into the realm of strong possibility.

Pick: BTTS (-150)

Getafe vs Elche Prediction

Though hardly a game that neutrals or general fans of entertaining soccer will be drawn to, Getafe (7-7-13) and Elche (5-9-13) are both in very real danger of getting relegated this season — somewhat shocking for the former, which has spent just one season in the second division since 2003-04.

Aside from a three-goal outburst against 10-man Valencia a few weeks ago, Getafe’s offense has been bone-dry and held goalless in five of the squad’s last seven league matches — including three of its last four at home.

It’s been a struggle of late for Elche, with losses against Sevilla (0-2) and Real Madrid (1-2) dropping Fran Escriba’s side to within a single point of the relegation zone; the Franjiverdes have leaked goals, with just one clean sheet (1-0 vs Eibar on February 8) in their last ten matches.

Given the importance of Sunday’s La Liga Matchday 28 clash and Getafe’s inability to score, expect a defensive battle and a possible Under 1.5 play.

Pick: Under 1.5 (+140)

Real Sociedad vs Barcelona Prediction

Streaky Real Sociedad (12-9-6) is hanging tough in the race for European qualification, outpacing Villarreal and maintaining speed with Real Betis in the quest for fifth place, entering its Sunday La Liga Matchday 28 clash with Barcelona (18-5-4).

It’s been a difficult few weeks, however, for Imanol’s side; an unceremonious exit from Europe at the hands of Manchester United (4-0 aggregate) and a defeat at Granada (0-1) have dampened the mood at the Reale Arena.

Barça is red-hot, with wins in five of six matches across all competitions and beginning to apply pressure on Atletico Madrid in the renewed title race.

The Blaugrana have dominated the matchup in recent years, racking up an undefeated 7-1-0 record since 2017, and should be an automatic pick at a shade over plus-money against their Basque opponents.

Pick: Barcelona (+102)