La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2025/26

[Velvet78]

It's hard to predict who will win La Liga right now.
Barcelona has the problem of sometimes playing very well and then suddenly slowing down. If Lewandowski and the young players wake up as they should, they would really make a difference.
Real Madrid is a very similar story; it seems to be up and down. One day they win a resounding 4-0, and the next they struggle against a small team. They have a strong midfield, but the attack sometimes struggles to finish. I really don't understand.
Should I bet? Maybe I'd bet on Barcelona.

Indeed! I have checked Stake.com for the updated odds for the title winner. It is like:

- Real Madrid: 1.83
- Barcelona: 2.00

It will change quite often as long as they are too close to each other. And honestly, I don't think this look will change during nearly the whole season.  

Atletico Madrid are given 36.00 odds by the way. Not surprising... I think there is no way they are shocking us with a late attack. Inconsistency is a reality for them so far.

[martinom]

Yes, in this match, the Atletico Madrid players underestimated their opponents, Celta, and ultimately failed to secure the full three points because of it. So, I think the Atletico Madrid players should take this as a lesson. The bottom line is, whoever they face, never underestimate them. After all, all the teams in La Liga right now are quite formidable. Even a big team like Atletico Madrid can struggle if they underestimate their opponents. So, it's a shame that Atletico Madrid couldn't secure the full three points in this match. They were in excellent form, hoping to climb the table. But with this obstacle, I think their concentration will be slightly distorted.

Source

Furthermore, Atletico Madrid likely has a friendly against Inter Milan in a few days. I think this is a good opportunity to keep the players consistent despite the international break.

It seems to me that the Atletico boys are underestimating their opponents a bit too much, they have lost several matches due to the problem of underestimating the opponent, except against Real Madrid where they were really careful and alert and did a good job.

[Rgram]

Barcelona weaknesses is now spotted widely and every teams that comes their way is getting leaked information and using a particular strategy to handle and trash Barcelona.

I really feel Barcelona is badly missing Inigo Martinez right now. Their last two games against PSG and the humiliating lost to Sevilla was frustrating because the defense looked completely lost. You could just see there was no real leader at the back to organize things or calm the team down when the pressure came.

Against PSG, every time they tried to build from the back, they looked nervous and unsure. Even the high line wasn't in place at most times. Something that never really happen when Inigo was there at the club because he had that composure and experience that made others around him more confident.

[Adbitco]

Barcelona's defeats in these two matches clearly demonstrate that the problem isn't in attack, but in defense. In the defeats against PSG and Sevilla, Barcelona's defense was very poor, especially when they failed to use the offside trap. A failed offside trap can be fatal, as the opposition can easily score on the counterattack. Therefore, I believe Flick must thoroughly evaluate his defense during this intermission especially considering the risky offside trap. .

Sometimes defence may not be the problem because one thing I know is that regardless of how tough the defence is, if it is pressured enough, eventually it will be penetrated and a goal will be produced and the only time we tend to witness such often is when the midfield becomes weak, so that top should be considered before shifting all the blames back to the defence, if the  midfield was doing fine too, then the defence will have less pressure to handle and later not have to concede as much goals.

But the truth is, Barcelona defence is almost nothing to write him about, if they had a solid defence then I'm sure the coach wouldn't solely depend on on a high line tactics. Barcelona middle is strong but not as strong as they were a decade ago no doubt. Any team that plays a possession football has the midfield to handle that pattern, so the middle is ok but just as you no matter how solid the defence is, it will still be penetrated same applies to the middle, no matter how solid it is, it will still be penetrated.

[Rgram]

I seriously don’t get it why everyone keeps saying Barcelona is struggling just because of Yamal's injury and no one seems to mention Raphinha at all.

Everywhere I look, people keep talking about how Yamal’s absence has affected the team, but it’s like they have completely forgotten how important Raphinha is. It’s really frustrating because Raphinha brings energy, creativity, and experience things Barcelona really missed, especially in that PSG game.

I honestly believe that if Raphinha had played, Barcelona wouldn’t have lost that match because he knows how to create chances, track back, and lift the team when things get tough. Meanwhile, Yamal only got attention in that PSG game when he brought down Nuno Mendes, and people acted like that was a big achievement.

No one should get me wrong, Yamal is talented and a good player when he's fit but Raphinha also deserves way more respect and credit than he’s getting right now.

[Tmoonz]

Celta 1 - 1 Atl. Madrid

I'm honestly having a hard time recognizing Atletico Madrid. They played magnificently against Real Madrid and drew this week. That's why the Spanish league is so unpredictable. Teams that beat teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona can unpredictably draw the following week or lose in a match they're favorites. I know this is perhaps one of the reasons why Spanish football is so enjoyable, but I still find it very strange.

In the early minutes, Atletico Madrid put pressure on Celta's defense and caused them difficulties, but unfortunately, in the 40th minute, Lenglet received a red card, which disrupted Atletico Madrid's defense, and seeing this opportunity, Celta increased their attacks and put even more pressure on Atletico, but fortunately though they conceded another goal in the second half, they were still able to hold Celta to a draw with 10 players. there were a lot of mistakes made by Atletico Madrid, maybe they took this match too lightly and that makes their game pretty bad.

Smiles I have always doubted their performance against Real Madrid and the UEFA Champions League like scoring five goals each in both matches, I was like wow is this really Atletico Madrid I knew? Then boom they really Atletico Madrid pop up the following week, then I was yes welcome back boys, lolz like seriously speaking that league is really unpredictable now imagine sevilla trashing FC Barcelona with 4 to 1 and that was actually out of the picture no one could have believe that game can turn out to be so but it does happen anyways , now let's see what will happen next after the international week break.

[joniboini]

Everywhere I look, people keep talking about how Yamal’s absence has affected the team, but it’s like they have completely forgotten how important Raphinha is. It’s really frustrating because Raphinha brings energy, creativity, and experience things Barcelona really missed, especially in that PSG game.

I think it's just because he's the next superstar for them (if he's not already). Not to mention, most pundits are just throwing shallow analysis here and there. At the end of the day, that's just how football media works. A bad match? Quickly generate a sensationalist article saying the season is finished. A great result? Quickly generate that this team is impossible to beat, etc. It's exaggeration after exaggeration. I'd suggest not to take them seriously at all. Just look at in-depth analytics and so on. You also need to remember that sometimes luck is involved in football, or that the match is played by 2 teams. A team loss can simply mean the other team executes their game plan better.

[Lannakosa]

Indeed! I have checked Stake.com for the updated odds for the title winner. It is like:

- Real Madrid: 1.83
- Barcelona: 2.00

It will change quite often as long as they are too close to each other. And honestly, I don't think this look will change during nearly the whole season.  

Atletico Madrid are given 36.00 odds by the way. Not surprising... I think there is no way they are shocking us with a late attack. Inconsistency is a reality for them so far.

The only winner to be picked is between Real Madrid and Barcelona, all that's left is to guess who will win. The odds may not change often if Real Madrid plays well enough to maintain this lead or even increase it. Real Madrid has dropped points against strong opponents, while Barcelona has already dropped points against Mallorca and Sevilla, both times unexpectedly. So if this continues and Real Madrid is more consistent, these odds may not change much, only decreasing if Real Madrid can increase their lead.

[KTChampions]

Indeed! I have checked Stake.com for the updated odds for the title winner. It is like:

- Real Madrid: 1.83
- Barcelona: 2.00

It will change quite often as long as they are too close to each other. And honestly, I don't think this look will change during nearly the whole season.  

Atletico Madrid are given 36.00 odds by the way. Not surprising... I think there is no way they are shocking us with a late attack. Inconsistency is a reality for them so far.

Atlético's odds are purely virtual. They could be 60 or 100, but there's no point in betting on them. Atlético is eight points behind Real Madrid (assuming a head-to-head win lol), and six behind Barcelona. For Atlético to get back into the race, firstly, Atlético itself must start earning 100% of its points, and secondly, both Real Madrid and Barcelona must fall into a serious crisis and systematically lose points. The likelihood of these events simultaneously approaches zero.

[Pandu Geddon]

It seems to me that the Atletico boys are underestimating their opponents a bit too much, they have lost several matches due to the problem of underestimating the opponent, except against Real Madrid where they were really careful and alert and did a good job.

Atletico has only lost once in 8 matches, which loss are you referring to? They indeed had a few draws that I think they could have won, but those are not losses.
Facing Inter is a friendly match, and I am not quite sure about the result. However, the match can be used to try out some players who rarely get playing time, giving them a chance to show their abilities, even though the pressure will definitely be different from competitive matches.

[HajiBagi]

Barcelona weaknesses is now spotted widely and every teams that comes their way is getting leaked information and using a particular strategy to handle and trash Barcelona.

I really feel Barcelona is badly missing Inigo Martinez right now. Their last two games against PSG and the humiliating lost to Sevilla was frustrating because the defense looked completely lost. You could just see there was no real leader at the back to organize things or calm the team down when the pressure came.

Against PSG, every time they tried to build from the back, they looked nervous and unsure. Even the high line wasn't in place at most times. Something that never really happen when Inigo was there at the club because he had that composure and experience that made others around him more confident.

Inigo Martinez was the best player in the Barcelona squad last season, but no one noticed because the fans were too busy hyping Yamal, Raphina, and Pedri. Now that Martinez has left the team, everyone has noticed that he was the best player in Barcelona last season, and his performance was the reason why the high line is working perfectly. Instead of extending Martinez's contract, Barcelona is extending Cubasi's and other players' contracts due to media hype.

Some Barcelona fans believe that the absence of Yamal and Raphina is the reason why they were defeated by PSG and Sevilla, even if Yamal and Raphina were in the game, they would lose because they were not defenders, and Barcelona's problem is defenders, Raphina and Yamal were in the Rayo Vallecano match when Barcelona ended the game draw, and if not due to a penalty, they would lose to Rayo Vallecano.

[m4r1o]

Yes, if you look at the current situation, Barcelona does seem to be recovering from its slump, unlike Real Madrid, which immediately bounced back after losing to Atletico Madrid. So with that, I think Barcelona is threatened with not being able to compete well in La Liga or the Champions League. Because with their current performance and added injured players, I think Barcelona will really be a team that is not too favored this season. But even so, I personally will not underestimate Barcelona because after all, Barcelona is a big team and they also have very big ambitions to be able to win trophies this season.

So with that, I think Barcelona might soon recover from their current slump. Because they also have a pretty great coach, Hansi Flick. So he must have also thought of a very good strategy to be able to boost their performance again, which is currently experiencing a decline. In addition, Yamal this season, as far as I know, has suffered two injuries, so personally, I am quite worried about his current situation. Because he's still very young, he shouldn't be experiencing injuries like this often. Of course, if he does, it will definitely have a significant impact on his performance. Hopefully, he'll recover quickly from his injury.

This championship is getting more and more complicated, I understand that it is much more difficult for Barcelona now given that they cannot have the best players at their disposal but they must continue to do what they are doing and try to recover as quickly as possible, otherwise it will end badly for them, given that Real are starting to get serious.

[cxtreenal]

Yes, if you look at the current situation, Barcelona does seem to be recovering from its slump, unlike Real Madrid, which immediately bounced back after losing to Atletico Madrid. So with that, I think Barcelona is threatened with not being able to compete well in La Liga or the Champions League. Because with their current performance and added injured players, I think Barcelona will really be a team that is not too favored this season. But even so, I personally will not underestimate Barcelona because after all, Barcelona is a big team and they also have very big ambitions to be able to win trophies this season.

So with that, I think Barcelona might soon recover from their current slump. Because they also have a pretty great coach, Hansi Flick. So he must have also thought of a very good strategy to be able to boost their performance again, which is currently experiencing a decline. In addition, Yamal this season, as far as I know, has suffered two injuries, so personally, I am quite worried about his current situation. Because he's still very young, he shouldn't be experiencing injuries like this often. Of course, if he does, it will definitely have a significant impact on his performance. Hopefully, he'll recover quickly from his injury.

This championship is getting more and more complicated, I understand that it is much more difficult for Barcelona now given that they cannot have the best players at their disposal but they must continue to do what they are doing and try to recover as quickly as possible, otherwise it will end badly for them, given that Real are starting to get serious.

Barcelona are going through a rough time but they can get back to their previous form because they have great players. Yamal is out due to injury. Rashford Rafinha and Lewandowski are not playing well at the moment but I believe they will get back to their best and Barcelona will be able to do even better in the next matches. It would not be right to judge the whole team performance negatively based on one or two matches. The top teams in La Liga will face challenging conditions and pressure to improve. Barcelona are only 2 points behind Real Madrid and I think they will play better.

[TastyChillySauce00]

I'm so sorry for Endrick caused by he's dumb enough as a player. He's rejecting some offers to take him as a loan, and decide to stay just to be benched. He might still get some minutes under Ancelotti, but totally different after the arrival of Xabi. He rarely played, and got a seatbelt on his bench.
The better he asked Xabi to send him as a loan, and ignore his parent's advice to keep stay and fight for his place caused by the wall is too big for him to pass.

I don't think a young guy who very lack of minutes can replace Mbappe. If he's dreaming to get a spot in Real Madrid's attack, he has to surpass Mbappe. It can't be done if he's just sitting on the bench. What a wasted talent. 

[Princess Leah]

This championship is getting more and more complicated, I understand that it is much more difficult for Barcelona now given that they cannot have the best players at their disposal but they must continue to do what they are doing and try to recover as quickly as possible, otherwise it will end badly for them, given that Real are starting to get serious.

Barcelona are going through a rough time but they can get back to their previous form because they have great players. Yamal is out due to injury. Rashford Rafinha and Lewandowski are not playing well at the moment but I believe they will get back to their best and Barcelona will be able to do even better in the next matches. It would not be right to judge the whole team performance negatively based on one or two matches. The top teams in La Liga will face challenging conditions and pressure to improve. Barcelona are only 2 points behind Real Madrid and I think they will play better.

They've been seriously hit by injury and if their players fail to recover on time, It could cause lots of problems for them, cause Real Madrid's form is very good and they would seize the opportunity to maintain the lead on the table, except maybe the likes of Rashford, Lewandowski step up their game and get back at their best again.

 It is on thing to face challenges but it's another thing to tackle the changes quickly, Hansi Flick needs to tackle this challenge they have recently very quick else it would cause lots of problems for Barcelona especially now that the gap is not very much, two points is not much gap but they shouldn't allow it past that figure.

[Adbitco]

This championship is getting more and more complicated, I understand that it is much more difficult for Barcelona now given that they cannot have the best players at their disposal but they must continue to do what they are doing and try to recover as quickly as possible, otherwise it will end badly for them, given that Real are starting to get serious.

It was even more complicated for Real Madrid last season due to the numerous injuries on their players and they still managed, so Barcelona too will still manage even though theirs is not as severe as that of Real Madrid. But the good news is that they injury list on the forward won't be for long, Yamal should be in the squad after the international break at least that will be a big boost for them going into the month. It's Real Madrid both LBs that are still in doubt.

[Uruhara]

This championship is getting more and more complicated, I understand that it is much more difficult for Barcelona now given that they cannot have the best players at their disposal but they must continue to do what they are doing and try to recover as quickly as possible, otherwise it will end badly for them, given that Real are starting to get serious.

Last season, Barcelona didn't have many injury problems in their squad. Meanwhile, Real Madrid struggled with injuries to their back line, including their goalkeeper. And, uniquely, this season, it seems like what Real Madrid experienced last season is now happening to Barcelona. In fact, both of Barcelona's goalkeepers are currently injured.
Joan Garcia is injured with a torn meniscus, and Marc-André ter Stegen is suffering from a back injury. This situation is quite worrying for Barcelona. Fortunately, Fermin Lopez, Rapinha, and Yamal are expected to return in the next few weeks, indicating that these three players are not seriously injured.

[bastisisca]

Well, this changes everything, because everything I thought about them is crumbling, I understand that the boys are doing a lot, but without Yamal they don't seem to be performing so well, all teams are based on fundamental players, all of them, but here they have few to count on

A team cannot depend only on one player, when that happens it's a big problem, look at Napoli who lost the striker who was their main striker, now they have to figure out what to do
It's not a good situation, and Roma has caught up with it, no words for this

[snipie]

I'm so sorry for Endrick caused by he's dumb enough as a player. He's rejecting some offers to take him as a loan, and decide to stay just to be benched. He might still get some minutes under Ancelotti, but totally different after the arrival of Xabi. He rarely played, and got a seatbelt on his bench.
The better he asked Xabi to send him as a loan, and ignore his parent's advice to keep stay and fight for his place caused by the wall is too big for him to pass.

I think he will end up by agreeing to move on loan to another club this winter, otherwise he risks to not be present at all with Brazilian national team in FIFA World Cup next year.
The player is under pressure since he was injured before FIFA Club World Cup, the change in the Real Madrid management and staying in the bench out of Xabi strategy..
There is rumours that he will move to either Valencia or Real Sociedad if he plans to stay in La Liga or West Ham United if he wants to move to Premier League. Of course it is up to him and his team to agree on the deal since these teams are interested on getting him.

[tsaroz]

Well, this changes everything, because everything I thought about them is crumbling, I understand that the boys are doing a lot, but without Yamal they don't seem to be performing so well, all teams are based on fundamental players, all of them, but here they have few to count on

A team cannot depend only on one player, when that happens it's a big problem, look at Napoli who lost the striker who was their main striker, now they have to figure out what to do
It's not a good situation, and Roma has caught up with it, no words for this

The competition is always about Barcelona and Real Madrid and these unexpected loss in points and el classico matches would determine who wins the league title. Looking at the recent history, Barcelona and Real Madrid alternately winning the leagues for last 5 years and no doubt it would be among them this year too.
Injuries are part of the game. They should always be prepared with an alternative. Though injuries of important players had been decisive in different leagues, there are clubs that goes as strong even with a few injuries.