Unlike the rest of Europe, English football will continue on its high-speed trajectory over the festive period, with the games coming thick and fast. This is a tradition enshrined in the minds of football fans on the island, with Christmas and the New Year unfathomable without football. Over on the continent, every other European league will pause for breath to give teams some time to spend with their families, and to recharge their batteries ahead of January. In such a scenario, it can get quite frustrating for fans of non-English teams as they see the amount of football on offer across the Channel. However, there is a decent solution available for this, online and mobile betting. There are a number of apps available online – download and install bet365 app – steps by Appmodo.com; fans can follow their teams easily and make a few extra pounds (or euros) to spend over the festive period.
La Liga also takes a break over the New Year, with Barcelona leading the way after 18 games on 39 points. Real Madrid are two points behind their eternal rivals, after only managing a goalless draw against Athletic Bilbao over the weekend. Sevilla and Atletico Madrid are in the last two Champions League spots, with Diego Simeone’s Atletico side having fallen off the pace in recent weeks. Early leaders Real Sociedad are in the automatic Europa League spot in fifth, while fellow surprise package Getafe take the final European spot. Down at the bottom, Espanyol are already starting to lose touch, five points from safety and propping up the division, with Leganes and Celta Vigo giving them company in the relegation zone. Mallorca are only a point from the relegation zone, and it looks like a battle between these four sides at the bottom, with Eibar relatively safe in 16th place, five points above the drop zone. It looks like we will have a proper title race between Real and Barcelona this season, after the Catalan side faced hardly any challenge from either Los Blancos or Atletico last time around. Lionel Messi is driving the Blaugrana much more than in previous seasons, often single-handedly turning games in their favour, and while it cannot hurt to have the best player of all time on your team, their over-reliance on him could come back and haunt them, were the Argentinian to suffer a dip in form or an enforced absence through injury or suspension.
Fans looking to take a punt on the Spanish league have a number of options to look forward to. Barcelona are favourites to win the league at 1.40, with Real at 3.25 and Atletico outsiders at 26.00. The two Spanish heavyweights are certain to finish in the top four, while Atletico and Sevilla are at 1.25 and 1.36 – Real Sociedad are outsiders at 5.00, but could be a decent pick if they can put together a good run of form and their competitors fall off. Messi’s stunning form sees him as the favourite for the Pichichi at 1.40, while Karim Benzema’s superb goalscoring form sees him recognized at 4.00. These are some safe and some value picks for punters wanting to make a quick buck from the Spanish league.
