Can Girona Continue Fairytale Season?

Do you believe in miracles? Girona fans certainly do. Before this season, they had only seen their team play top-flight football on two occasions in the club’s history, and yet they will begin the new year in second place, level on 45 points with league leaders Real Madrid. Even the Las Vegas odds are starting to come around: At +500, the Catalan side is ahead of Barcelona (+800) and Atletico (+1800) and behind odds-on title favorites Real Madrid (-500).

As opposed to the other three title challengers, Girona does not have to balance Champions League football with domestic competition, and they will be hosting Atletico on Wednesday before traveling to second-tier Elche in the Round of 32 of the Copa del Rey and last-placed Almeria. Michel’s side has suffered just one defeat – a 3-0 loss to Real on Sep. 30 – they have won 14 of 18 league matches, and after closing out 2023 with a 1-1 draw at Real Betis, they’ll be looking to open the new year with a victory against Diego Simeone’s side.

Girona is proving to be a reliable option for soccer bet picks with 42 goals scored and 21 conceded, boasting the best attack in Spain and enjoying contributions from various players, including Ukrainian striker Artem Dovbyk (11 goals and five assists in 17 league appearances) and Brazilian winger Savio (four goals and five assists in 18). Depending on their result against Atleti and how Barcelona handles the next few weeks against Las Palmas, Betis, and Villarreal, we could be talking about a two-horse race rather than a four-horse race sooner rather than later.

Can Almeria End Winless Start and Avoid Drop?

Only one team in Europe’s top five leagues is yet to win a single match: Almeria. After narrowly surviving the drop in their first La Liga season in 8 years, Almeria has suffered a dismal start to the campaign with the worst defense (42 goals conceded) and the worst goal differential in La Liga (-23). The soccer odds are certainly not in their favor as they look to escape the drop, with the Andalusian side sitting bottom of the table with five points, three behind Granada and 10 away from safety.

It should come as no surprise that Almeria is favored to suffer relegation at -1400, followed by Granada (-600) and Cadiz (+120). Whilst Granada and Almeria both need a miracle to survive the drop, it looks set to be an enthralling battle for the final relegation spot with Rafa Benitez’s Celta de Vigo. Spanish soccer betting fanatics can rest assured: this is going to come down to the wire just like last season when Real Valladolid finished 18th and suffered relegation – just three points behind 13th-placed Celta de Vigo.

Will Real Madrid Come Out of Their Injury Crisis on Top?

After winning the Copa del Rey as well as their first UEFA Champions League title in 12 years in their first season under Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid opened the 2014-15 season in stellar fashion with a 22-match winning streak only to lose momentum in the second half of the season and fall apart without Luka Modric, as Barcelona proceeded to win a treble under Luis Enrique. Ancelotti left in the summer, bouncing around from Bayern to Napoli to Everton before returning to the Bernabeu in 2021 and winning the Champions League and the Copa del Rey in his first season back. The following season saw Real claim another Copa whilst finishing second to Barcelona and losing to Manchester City in the semifinals. Today, they occupy first place in the league, they have lost just one match in all competitions, and alongside City, they are the only team that has won every single Champions League match.

Despite dealing with various long-term absences such as Vinicius and Eduardo Camavinga including three ACL injuries to three starters in Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba, Los Blancos boast the best defense in Spain with 11 goals conceded, emerging as a go-to option for La Liga betting connoisseurs this season.

Whilst it seemed that club president Florentino Perez would allow Ancelotti to leave after his contract’s expiry in the summer and take charge of the Brazil national team, he has changed his tune, announcing the renewal of his contract through June 2026 during the winter break. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – Real and soccer betting fans are relying on this adage and counting on the Italian manager to lead them to yet another trophy-filled season in the Spanish capital.