La Liga Betting Report: Still Waiting on Barcelona
When Xavi took charge of FC Barcelona in November 2021, he assumed the reins of a club in crisis. The club had lost their greatest-ever player for free just months earlier due to financial difficulties and was headed for a third-place finish in the Champions League, failing to reach the knockout round for the first time since 2003-04.
The Catalan side was in ninth place when Xavi replaced Ronald Koeman at the helm but ended the season in second after an impressive second half that featured a 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid. They were knocked out at the group stage in the following edition but ended a four-year drought for the La Liga title thanks to a rock-solid defense that saw them win 1-0 on 11 separate occasions in the league. With 70 goals scored and 20 conceded, a 1-0 victory was the go-to option for Spanish soccer betting fanatics.
Today, Barcelona finds itself in desperate need of wins and clean sheets. They have held their opponents scoreless on two occasions since the start of November. Since suffering their first defeat of the season –coughing up an early lead and losing 2-1 to Real Madrid on Oct. 28– Barcelona’s form has taken a turn for the worse, with the Catalan side drawing at Valencia and Rayo Vallecano, losing to Shakhtar and Antwerp but doing enough to seal top spot in their Champions League group, and succumbing to a 4-2 defeat at home against Girona.
So far this season, they have conceded twice to several relegation contenders. It’s little wonder that our sportsbook is starting to abandon faith in Barcelona (+700), who are trailing Girona (+600) and Real (-400) among the La Liga betting lines’ favorites for the league title.
After escaping with a 3-2 brace against Almeria, the only winless team in Europe’s top 5 leagues, Barcelona opened 2024 by pulling off a comeback 2-1 comeback victory at newly promoted Las Palmas, before edging fourth-tier Barbastros 3-2 in the Copa del Rey. They headed for Saudi Arabia in search of a mid-season rejuvenation and some desperately needed silverware, beating Osasuna 2-0 before being ripped apart 4-1 by Real Madrid.
La Liga betting aficionados are right to be wary of Barcelona, who sit fourth in the table, level on points with Athletic Club and eight behind fist-place Girona, with a game in hand on both. Barcelona has spent heavily under Xavi and brought in big-name stars on loan or permanent deals, such as Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Raphinha, Ferran Torres, Joao Felix, and Joao Cancelo, but right now, the results aren’t there to justify the investment.
Barcelona will travel to third-tier Unionistas de Salamanca CF in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 on Thursday and head to seventh-placed Real Betis on Sunday before taking on five straight bottom-half opponents in La Liga, followed by a trip to Napoli for the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie.
In order to cool down the temperature under his seat, Xavi needs to pick up some results and turn around their feeble title defense, and he’ll be looking to stop the bleeding and pick up a victory against Manuel Pellegrini’s side at the weekend.
Before their 1-0 win against Granada on Saturday, Betis had not won a single league match since November 26, and they go into the match as the overwhelming underdogs at +324 in contrast to Barcelona (-124) in Las Vegas betting lines.
Can Xavi’s side beat the soccer odds and get back into the La Liga title race? Sunday’s match at the Estadio Benito Villamarin will be the first major test for a man who, despite emerging as one of the greatest midfielders of all time at Camp Nou, has yet to convince the fanbase of his credentials as Barcelona’s long-term manager.
