La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2023/24

[Alanaz]

This week seems to be like a chance for Atletico Madrid to get a comfortable win and take a deep breath. Because Elche are like the worst team in the league at the moment. Besides Atletico Madrid have a very dominant history against Elche as well. It's like all the variables are showing that Atletico Madrid must win this comfortably.

However I still doubt whether a win here would be helpful for them to have a better season from now on. Because Simeone's old tactics don't work much anymore.

The length of time Simeone has been at Atletico Madrid has made other teams aware of what kind of gameplay he has always played. I don't want to try to say that Diego Simeone is poor in strategy, but when repeatedly implementing different strategies, sooner or later the opponent will realize the strategy he always applies.
This match should have been a win for them against an opponent that couldn't be said to be tough like Elche.

[Rockstarguy]

This week seems to be like a chance for Atletico Madrid to get a comfortable win and take a deep breath. Because Elche are like the worst team in the league at the moment. Besides Atletico Madrid have a very dominant history against Elche as well. It's like all the variables are showing that Atletico Madrid must win this comfortably.

However I still doubt whether a win here would be helpful for them to have a better season from now on. Because Simeone's old tactics don't work much anymore.

It will be easy win for Atletico Madrid to be in the third position. This season the result of Elche has been so poor,  Elche have not won any game in this season,  they only manage to have four draws in their games in this season.

 Atletico Madrid playing against Elche is a good opportunity to achieve a full point. The third position will be a place where Atletico bilbao, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid will be completing to maintain.

[ilovealtcoins]

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Well, both matches are important because they involve FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, of course, but they are indeed two games that are not very interesting to see taking into account their corresponding rivals.
Much more interesting, to me, will be the ones played by Betis, Athletic Bilbao, Osasuna and Real Sociedad, as their results could sentence their fate in the second half pf La Liga. But to each his own.

There is a point too, seeing Real Madrid and Barcelona, ​​of course, La Liga will only be competition for these two. But look at Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao, Real Betis, Osasuna and don't forget Atletico Madrid, all of them have a narrow distance of just 1 to 2 points to shift each other's position in the top 4 standings.

That's right, but I didn't mention Atlético de Madrid on purpose because they won't play against the other teams I was talking about. These five teams, and a few more, compete for the medium to high positions, and the competition is fierce sometimes, and this is what I expect for this weekend.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are relatively weak opponents. So I don't think they will have any problem to win. I am looking forward to watching the performances of Atletico Madrid, Rayo Vallecano, Sociedad, and Athletic Club. Because Barcelona and Real Madrid are fighting for the title of La Liga, but several teams are fighting to qualify for the Champions League. So it is difficult for the teams to be in the top four of the points table.

[Distraction]

Atletico is no longer a stable team like a few years ago. They are unpredictable and also very erratic. There is a considerable chance that they will also have a hard time against Elche. I don't know where things went wrong for Atletico in recent years, they brought Griezman back but Suarez left. The situation around Godin has also had the necessary impact. I actually thought at the start of the season that Atletico Madrid might be an outsider for the title, but there is little evidence of that at the moment. Qualifying for CL and becoming 3rd seems to be the maximum achievable.

Atletico Madrid aren't the same old powerful team as of now indeed.

Simeone has had great years with this team for a long time. Their usual strategies were working very well against even Barcelona and Real Madrid in the league. These two big teams were having really big difficulties against Atletico Madrid in the past. However we are in a different age now. Atletico Madrid are no longer a big threat to both of them. We have all witnessed that by their match against Real Madrid in the league. Real Madrid didn't have big difficulties in defeating them in an away match. I think it will be the same against Barcelona as well.

[hahay]

Barcelona may not have the best players compared to Real Madrid, but Barcelona are currently number one in the points table.  Because Barcelona has a tradition.  which they carry.

Barcelona position is not safe in first place because it is only two points different from Real Madrid who is in second place. After Barcelona overhauled their squad to be better than last season, they immediately gave competition to Real Madrid. Barcelona's improvement can pose a threat to Real Madrid for the title this season, Ancelotti will see this as a challenge for him to bring Real Madrid back to first place.

Lol, do you think Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong and also Jules Kounde and the rest of the players in the Barcelona squad aren't the best players? Then what kind of best player do you mean, because I think having Lewandowski in the Barcelona squad is enough that Barcelona has the best players and basically Barcelona has a luxurious squad right now. Also, basically after Barcelona chose Xavi as Barcelona coach, Xavi could quickly restore Barcelona's best form, especially in La Liga.
So even though the competition between Real Madrid and Barcelona has just happened this season, but Barcelona's performance has increased from last season, where Barcelona still doesn't have the luxury squad it currently has.

I'm surprised if you say Barcelona doesn't have the best players, because it's even very clear that in the early season transfer market, many have even considered the luxurious squad that Barcelona has. Even some of the names in the current Barcelona squad, some of the names among them at the start of the season could not be played immediately due to problems with registration and the high costs involved.
So yes, with the luxurious squad that Barcelona currently has, I personally think that Barcelona has many of the best players in its current squad which, of course, they will be able to compete in the title race with Real Madrid.

[bekti3]

I don't see Barcelona Winning the title at the end of the season, Madrid are favorite to win. Because by January Barcelona might lose some good players because of their financial issues in the club.

Who? Until now I have not found any news about the Barcelona players.
There are some that are on their sales list like Depay and Franck Kessie but it's like selling some cargo that they don't really need. As for Busquets and Alba, whose contracts are ending soon, I think they will be allowed to be free agents, especially for Busquets, whose contract will expire in June.

[SirLancelot]

In the game between Barcelona and Espanyol, bookmakers give the following odds:

1,26 - 6,60 - 11,00

And I would say that even with Lewandowski out of the picture, the bet for Barcelona to win looks obvious (although I don't like small odds).
With Valladolid and Real Madrid, everything is less obvious, but I also prefer to bet on the favorite:

6,20 - 4,80 - 1,49

After break now we are heading for the next half of this season which is surely going to be tough for these two teams because both are strong contender for the title with have quality players and first matches are going to play against weaker sides specially Barcelona is having derby match with mostly these are never been easy but as odds are given by Bookmakers things looking easy for the both teams Xavi and Ancelotti both are preparing their teams and players with most chances things could be not challenging in early matches because after long rest most of the players will be fresh, and they are ready for giving their best which will increase their teams chances for the title race in this season.

[Prince Malik]

Barcelona may not have the best players compared to Real Madrid, but Barcelona are currently number one in the points table.  Because Barcelona has a tradition.  which they carry.

Barcelona position is not safe in first place because it is only two points different from Real Madrid who is in second place. After Barcelona overhauled their squad to be better than last season, they immediately gave competition to Real Madrid. Barcelona's improvement can pose a threat to Real Madrid for the title this season, Ancelotti will see this as a challenge for him to bring Real Madrid back to first place.

Lol, do you think Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong and also Jules Kounde and the rest of the players in the Barcelona squad aren't the best players? Then what kind of best player do you mean, because I think having Lewandowski in the Barcelona squad is enough that Barcelona has the best players and basically Barcelona has a luxurious squad right now. Also, basically after Barcelona chose Xavi as Barcelona coach, Xavi could quickly restore Barcelona's best form, especially in La Liga.
So even though the competition between Real Madrid and Barcelona has just happened this season, but Barcelona's performance has increased from last season, where Barcelona still doesn't have the luxury squad it currently has.

I'm surprised if you say Barcelona doesn't have the best players, because it's even very clear that in the early season transfer market, many have even considered the luxurious squad that Barcelona has. Even some of the names in the current Barcelona squad, some of the names among them at the start of the season could not be played immediately due to problems with registration and the high costs involved.
So yes, with the luxurious squad that Barcelona currently has, I personally think that Barcelona has many of the best players in its current squad which, of course, they will be able to compete in the title race with Real Madrid.

I agree, im not seeing any advantages for real Madrid against Barcelona for the title and sometimes i think Barcelona is the favor, I don't really understand why people think it's hard for Barcelona to get the title even with all the players they have and the coach xavi that was able to recover some Barcelona prestige in la Liga, also the team already lost the hope for the champoins league so i think they will put all efforts in la Liga

[el kaka22]

I agree that Benzema was already healed, he was already training with the team before the world cup ended, and I believe there was even a moment when Ronaldo joined them to stay fresh before the cup ended as well. So, we all knew that Benzema was already healed and ready. Something happened with the team, and there are rumours of not just manager but also a few player names were given about as well.

I guess that it's not going to be a shocker to learn that he is back to form and could score as well on the first game to just get the anger out as well. He was just not wanted there and was sent off, dude could have even come back to watch the final game and rejected it, must be something wrong.

[emrecemsan]

I wonder if Xavi has any plans to change his classical tiki-taka game strategy in the future. It works very well in the La Liga maybe but it is like that only there. We have all seen that it didn't work on Inter and Bayern Munich both in the Champions League group stage. Barcelona were able to get only one point in the four matches in total they played against those two teams. This obsolete strategy doesn't work against big teams in short. They failed hard against Real Madrid in the El Clasico here as well.

Even if they win the La Liga title this season I hope Xavi still thinks about making some changes in his game plan for next season. Otherwise he might experience another disaster in the Champions League which might be the end of his management career at Barcelona.

I don't agree with changing the old tiki-taka game strategy in Barcelona, even if I'm a fan of Barcelona and even if I'm a fan of Xavi but still one good reason for many people to watch the Barcelona matches and enjoy playing their game is the old tiki-taka and many people know tiki-taka just because of Barcelona, but still Barcelona is changing a lot every day after Xavi started working there and he is kinda starting to make his own game strategy instead of using the old techniques, maybe we should give it some time and then they need a great match like el Clasico to see if it's working.

I don't know I think it isn't a good thing for a team to use the same strategies over and over every year. It starts not to work anymore at a point.

For example it is already valid for Atletico Madrid. They are really bad now but Simeone doesn't look like he will make substantial changes in his strategies either. It will most probably end up with his leaving the team or being sacked by them. I wouldn't like to see him here anymore if I was an Atletico Madrid fan as well. I respect his successes with the team but it is obvious that he isn't good for the team anymore. The same thing might happen to Xavi so he should be careful with his preferences.

[tygeade]

Atletico is no longer a stable team like a few years ago. They are unpredictable and also very erratic. There is a considerable chance that they will also have a hard time against Elche. I don't know where things went wrong for Atletico in recent years, they brought Griezman back but Suarez left. The situation around Godin has also had the necessary impact. I actually thought at the start of the season that Atletico Madrid might be an outsider for the title, but there is little evidence of that at the moment. Qualifying for CL and becoming 3rd seems to be the maximum achievable.

Atletico Madrid aren't the same old powerful team as of now indeed.

Simeone has had great years with this team for a long time. Their usual strategies were working very well against even Barcelona and Real Madrid in the league. These two big teams were having really big difficulties against Atletico Madrid in the past. However we are in a different age now. Atletico Madrid are no longer a big threat to both of them. We have all witnessed that by their match against Real Madrid in the league. Real Madrid didn't have big difficulties in defeating them in an away match. I think it will be the same against Barcelona as well.

Agree, now in this season they are having decline in quality which is surely hurting them with having defeats against weaker sides and attack is also not good with defence is also having few laps here now time to bring few changes which must for bringing better results but management and coach both are not doing things for right direction as we are watching Barcelona and Real Madrid maintaining their squad and bringing quality players which giving them better response but sadly here Simeone is not doing any change and his strategy is also now not helping for bringing changes before break they have only one win from their last five games which is surely not good for them hopefully in this break they have better strategy which will help them for having positive changes.

[lalabotax]

Barcelona may not have the best players compared to Real Madrid, but Barcelona are currently number one in the points table.  Because Barcelona has a tradition.  which they carry.

Actually, they have Lewandowski and some other big players that actually can really strengthen their performance. But, Xavi may probably still not be able to optimize their power with the most appropriate strategies and tactics. I am sure that Xavi will do his best efforts to bring his team to be in first standing always although that may be difficult. For, we know that Barcelona has failed in the Champions League 16 round stage. So, they must do their best to hold the La Liga Title. However, as you said, this will not be easy because their position is not safe enough. Once they make mistakes and lost, this will make more chances for Real Madrid to take over again the first standing. So, this La Liga right now is becoming more interesting to see because we still don't know which club will win until the end because of the very close gap of points.

[dezoel]

Snip.

Barcelona may not have the best players compared to Real Madrid, but Barcelona are currently number one in the points table.  Because Barcelona has a tradition.  which they carry.

Barcelona position is not safe in first place because it is only two points different from Real Madrid who is in second place. After Barcelona overhauled their squad to be better than last season, they immediately gave competition to Real Madrid. Barcelona's improvement can pose a threat to Real Madrid for the title this season, Ancelotti will see this as a challenge for him to bring Real Madrid back to first place.

No doubt two points lead is never been ideal while you have defending champions are also on same level, and they are doing their best for taking back their spot even things are tough for both teams because quality level is same and performance is also at his best for this season title Carlos Ancelotti is already brining good changes which will bring better performance and strength into their squad which is important for their fight for the defending challenge.

Barcelona is also having their all weapons ready because after few years now they have fair chance for title and things are also helping them for having better end of this season now tomorrow we will have few good games in La Liga after break.

[Furious 7]

Among the 10 opening matches that will start tomorrow according to my time zone, maybe these 2 matches are the ones I'm most looking forward to. Because it's still quite a long time ago, before this, there were still no matches that caught my attention. The end of the year is certainly important for both Real Madrid and Barcelona to collect points.

Barcelona seems to need to maintain the standings even longer, and have a capital of 2 points which is not too difficult for Real Madrid to chase, so the match against Espanyol must be put to good use.

The two leading clubs are clearly the favorites in this match.
The Barcelona squad is missing Lewandowski but they won't have too much trouble as it seems their young players are still quite strong but this could also be a stumbling block for them.
On the other hand for Madrid now they have to stick around and 3 points is a good thing for them to do in this game. 2 points is not a difficult thing to chase and don't let them slip up at this time because this can be quite troublesome for them if Barcelona manages to add points.

[Rengga Jati]

Barcelona is also having their all weapons ready because after few years now they have fair chance for title and things are also helping them for having better end of this season now tomorrow we will have few good games in La Liga after break.

If Xavi is able to make a better tactics to bring Barcelona good performance and consistency in every match, I am sure that Barcelona will have a high chance to win. But, sometimes, they are still inconsistent in certain matches. They actually have Lewandowski, Raphinha, Dembele, Ansu Fati, and also some other players who are actually talented enough. This will depend on how their performance during the match and how Xavi manages the team with the best strategy and tactics. He needs something new that will really fit the lineups right now. They still have La Liga and also Europe League to face and try to win. But, in La Liga, again, Real Madrid becomes the most competitor which may make the position Barcelona in the first standing not safe enough, moreover with a very closed gap point that they have.

[TopT3ns]

The two leading clubs are clearly the favorites in this match.
The Barcelona squad is missing Lewandowski but they won't have too much trouble as it seems their young players are still quite strong but this could also be a stumbling block for them.
On the other hand for Madrid now they have to stick around and 3 points is a good thing for them to do in this game. 2 points is not a difficult thing to chase and don't let them slip up at this time because this can be quite troublesome for them if Barcelona manages to add points.

For Real Madrid this should be a good chance to get a winning point because against Valladollid, with a point difference of only 2 points from first place, there is a possibility that Real Madrid will take first place from Barcelona, but I am sure that Barcelona will not lose to the enemy Espanyol according to them it will also be easy to beat so that there will be a very tight struggle for position.

[Jody.Drummer]

In the game between Barcelona and Espanyol, bookmakers give the following odds:

1,26 - 6,60 - 11,00

And I would say that even with Lewandowski out of the picture, the bet for Barcelona to win looks obvious (although I don't like small odds).
With Valladolid and Real Madrid, everything is less obvious, but I also prefer to bet on the favorite:

6,20 - 4,80 - 1,49

The odds are too small for Barcelona even if it could be an easy win but for Madrid it gets better I think.
1.49 is still good enough for Madrid and I'll be here because like you I also like to bet on the Favourite but for Barcelona I'll probably skip that.

But it's interesting, with the odds for Barcelona, even without Lewandowski there, Barcelona is still heavily favored. even though seeing from their condition they might be a little bothered by the absence of Lewandowski in their squad.

[terrorJR]

For Real Madrid this should be a good chance to get a winning point because against Valladollid, with a point difference of only 2 points from first place, there is a possibility that Real Madrid will take first place from Barcelona, but I am sure that Barcelona will not lose to the enemy Espanyol according to them it will also be easy to beat so that there will be a very tight struggle for position.

Now the conditions for them to win are so strong that I think 3 points for each (Barcelona and Real Madrid) will still happen.
2 Points is no big deal and the league is still long enough for anything to happen. I'm pretty sure Madrid actually hope that there won't be any more problems for Benzema now because this is what Madrid needs to catch up with Barcelona who are currently at a slight disadvantage due to Lewandowski's absence.

[kawetsriyanto]

After Messi's departure, Barcelona have regrouped and are still trying to get sharper.  On the other hand, Real Madrid's players are already well-deserved to win the title.

Even during Messi's last season at Barcelona, Barcelona was no longer like when they have Xavi and Iniesta, Barcelona started to rebuild. They can't rely on tiki-taka anymore, especially when Real Madrid and many other teams know how to break this tactic. So, I don't think Barcelona is regrouped because of Messi's departure, it is because the old tiki-taka era is over. What Xavi (as a coach) rebuilt now, is a new tiki-taka era since it needs some improvement. Old tiki-take only works when Barcelona has the combination of Xavi-Iniesta-Messi. IMO

[OcTradism]

Even during Messi's last season at Barcelona, Barcelona was no longer like when they have Xavi and Iniesta, Barcelona started to rebuild. They can't rely on tiki-taka anymore, especially when Real Madrid and many other teams know how to break this tactic. So, I don't think Barcelona is regrouped because of Messi's departure, it is because the old tiki-taka era is over.

It's true that in a last few seasons of Messi in Barcelona, their quality was lower than what they had in the past with Pep Guardiola and Luiz Enrique as their coaches and with better players, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Eto'o, Suarez, Neymar ... The transfer of Neymar to PSG marks a decreasing quality of Barcelona.

After that Messi carried Barcelona from scoring goals, making key passes, creating chances, controlling match intensity for them. Anyway as a single player, Messi could not bring them to success. Their defense was worse than in the past too.

What Xavi (as a coach) rebuilt now, is a new tiki-taka era since it needs some improvement. Old tiki-take only works when Barcelona has the combination of Xavi-Iniesta-Messi. IMO

Xavi is still obsessed with tiki-taka that he is familiar with but he does not have enough ingredients to build a good one with players he has. I don't see too much different in Xavi tiki taka and the past one. Barcelona are playing more directly and using more physical strength in attacking but not different than in the past. At least, they are not too productive to covert ball possession to goals.