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Matchday 9 of La Liga EA Sports comes on the heels of an international break, which has left many teams with injuries and doubts that could be significant in a matchday where the top two have regional derbies, with Girona visiting Barcelona and Real Madrid visiting Getafe. The title of ‘Match of the Day’ will surely go to the exciting clash in Castellón between Villarreal and Real Betis, with Real Sociedad's visit to Celta also pitting two very attractive teams against each other.
Real Oviedo v Espanyol: Friday, 8pm BST
Matchday 9 opens with a game between teams in differing situations. Oviedo surprised many with the sacking of Paunovic, despite being out of the relegation places and having had a difficult start to the season. His replacement, Luis Carrión, will make his debut in the Oviedo dugout when they welcome an Espanyol side that seems to have corroborated the good sensations of the summer transfer market and made clear that their objective is to be higher than they were last season. A tense game is expected, with four of Oviedo's last six games being scoreless for both teams, and the same for Espanyol’s last two away games. As a result, a low-scoring game is likely.
Tip: Both teams fail to score - 4/5 @ bet 365
Bet Explanation: This bet is a winner if there are only goals from one team, or if there are no goals at all in the match.
Barcelona v Girona: Saturday, 3.15pm BST
Barça return from the international break, looking to rediscover their best form. After two straight defeats before the break, being back at home, where they have won all three of their league games, scoring two or more goals in each of them, may be the remedy.
Dani Olmo will be absent against Girona, with a late call to be made on Ferran Torres. If both don’t play, they will likely be replaced by the returning Fermín López with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, also expected to play some minutes.
Girona, for their part, come into the game after their first win of the season, and have Joel Roca back after Spain's elimination from the U-20 World Cup. Unfortunately, they also have important absentees and doubts, such as Van de Beek, David López, Francés, Iván Martín, Solís, Ounahi, Tsygankov and Abel Ruiz, among others.
Barça's need to bounce back, and their enormous attacking potential suggests that they will score goals. Flick's side have scored in both halves in all three of their home league games this term, and did so in both meetings between the two sides last season, as well as in three of the last four meetings between the two sides.
Tip: Barça score in both halves - 1/2 @ bet365
Bet Explanation: This bet is a winner if Barcelona manage to score in both the first and second half.
Villarreal v Betis: Saturday, 5.30pm BST
This is probably the best match of the day. This is a clash between two great teams who are both playing in European competition this season, both like to play attacking football, and both have the creative and attacking potential to do damage. It is a match in which attacking play and goals are expected, as four of the Yellow Submarine's last five matches, despite their numerous losses, have had more than 2.5 total goals, something that has also occurred in five of the last seven matches of Betis in all competitions, despite the notable absence of talisman, Isco Alarcón.
Tip: Over 2.5 goals total - 8/11 @ bet365
Bet Explanation: This bet is a winner if there are three or more total goals in the match.
Atletico Madrid v Osasuna: Saturday, 8pm BST
Atletico Madrid come into this game looking to move closer to the top of the table. Their inconsistent start to the league saw them drop points behind Madrid and Barca, with Simeone’s side still looking for their best form, as seen in the Madrid derby and against Eintracht in the Champions League.
While their opponents are still looking to improve after a somewhat inconsistent start to the season, in which Lisci's side have had disappointing results, such as the draw at home to Elche and the defeat at Espanyol. The Navarran side's solid 1-0 defeat at the Bernabéu is an interesting precedent for analysing what to expect in this match.
Six of Osasuna's eight league games have had fewer than 2.5 total goals, and five of Atletico's eight have also gone under three goals, along with four of the last six head-to-head meetings between the two.
Tip: Atletico win and fewer than 2.5 total goals - 11/5 @ bet365
Bet Explanation: This bet is a winner if Simeone's side win with two or fewer total goals in the match.
Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad: Sunday, 3.15pm BST
Another of the big games of the matchday pits two of the most attractive teams in the league against each other. Celta and Real Sociedad play some of the best football in the league, but their lack of effectiveness in both areas has them wandering around the bottom of the table. We expect an open game but few goals, with only one of Celta's eight games in the league having over 2.5 goals, and all five they have played at the Balaídos have been below that figure. Real Sociedad are more uneven, but in their last three league games, only the defeat at Barça's ground reached three goals. Seven of the last nine meetings between the two sides have also failed to reach 2.5 goals.
Tip: Less than 2.5 total goals - 10/11 @ bet365
Bet Explanation: This bet is a winner if the two teams only score two or fewer total goals in the match.
Getafe v Real Madrid: Sunday, 9pm BST
Getafe will host Real Madrid in this Madrid derby, with Real being the league leaders. Clashes between the Blues and the Merengues tend to be low-scoring, tense, hard-fought and controversial games. We expect Mbappé, should he recover from his ankle injury, to shine again, as he has scored or assisted in 12 of his last 13 club and international games, and also contributed directly to goals in his only game against Getafe last season, scoring a goal in Madrid's 2-0 win that day.
Tip: Mbappé scores or assists - 1/2 @ bet365
Bet Explanation: This bet is a winner if Mbappé scores a goal or gets an assist in the match.
An alternative option for this match, especially if Mbappé is not in the starting line-up, could be that both teams will not score, as has happened in 13 of the last 14 games between the two. Getafe have only scored against Madrid in one of the last seven meetings between the two sides.
Tip: No goals for both teams - 4/7 @ bet365
Bet Explanation: This bet is a winner if the match ends goalless or with goals from only one of the two teams.
Alavés v Valencia: Monday, 8pm BST
A match between two teams that will be looking to find some consistency. Games between Alavés and Valencia often have few goals and a lot of tension, but the truth is that, this season, their tendencies hint that there could be a few goals in this match. Three of the Babazorros' four home league games have had more than 2.5 goals, while three of the Ché's four away games have also had more than 2.5 goals. In fact, six of the last nine games between the two sides in Vitoria have had three or more goals, so that streak could well continue.
Tip: Over 2.5 goals total - 13/8 @ bet365
Bet Explanation: This bet is a winner if there are three or more total goals in the match.
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Odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.