BUNDESLIGA/LA LIGA SATURDAY: Our football tipster The Ultra previews Saturday’s games between RB LEIPZIG v MAINZ, GRANADA v BARCELONA and REAL MADRID v VALENCIA all with a recommended BETDAQ bet.

RB LEIPZIG V MAINZ

2.30pm Football in Europe is back in full flow and we have a fantastic Saturday ahead! All football bets are 0% Commission on BETDAQ Betting Exchange, and we have some excellent fixtures to enjoy. RB Leipzig are one side hoping to leave 2021 in the past. They start 2022 sitting in 10th in the Bundesliga, and their fall from grace has been quite dramatic. I’ve said my bit on them allowing Bayern Munich to basically plunder their squad during the summer, and perhaps this is a reflection of what happens when you sell your stars. Bayern basically have the title won already, just when RB Leipzig when seemingly making gains towards an interesting title race last season. It might take them years to recover, especially considering they will very likely miss out on European football next season. They have gone from title challengers and Champions League Semi Finalists to a mid-table side in a few months. Remarkable.

Mainz have flirted with a relegation battle for the last two seasons, but they will be happy with their start to the 2021/22 season. They will start this game ahead of RB Leipzig, happily sitting in 9th. They have played some very nice football this season, and the xG table actually put them up into fifth at the end of 2021. Despite all my doom and gloom about RB Leipzig selling their best players, the xG table is very favourable to them too – putting them up into second place. This should be a good quality game, with plenty of chances and goals. That’s probably been the main issue for both sides this season, they have simply conceded too many goals. They both like to play an open game I suppose, and that’s just what happens. RB Leipzig are odds on here, but I wouldn’t be confident enough to back them at such odds given their results this season. This game screams goals, and over 2.5 goals looks the value play at 1.78. As I said, both like to play an open game and with all the mistakes at the back, we should see a very entertaining game here.

The Ultra Says:
Three points win Over 2.5 goals at 1.78 with BETDAQ Betting Exchange!

You can view all markets here -> https://bit.ly/BDQRblMiz

GRANADA V BARCELONA

5.30pm We move to La Liga next as Granada host Barcelona. It’s been well documented the issues Barcelona have had this season, but there are reasons to be optimistic heading into 2022. For a start, things could hardly get worse. They’ve been knocked out of the Champions League and thrown into the Europa League, and then they have been hanging around mid-table in La Liga. However, their last two away performances have been good. They started 2022 with a 1-0 win away to Mallorca and while I know the level of opposition was average, it was positive that they could grind out a win. They also played away to Sevilla just before Christmas, and while the game finished 1-1 Barcelona finished with an xG of 2.38. They have moved up to 5th in the table now, and with Real Betis and Atletico Madrid struggling to find form, they should be right in the mix for a top four finish. You might say that was never in doubt, but it definitely was. Real Betis will likely drop out, and Barcelona will get back into the Champions League as they continue to re-build.

Games like this one will be very important if they are to finish in the top four, and they meet a Granada side with fantastic momentum. They were involved in a relegation battle, but they have jumped out of that with a six game unbeaten run which included beating Atletico Madrid 2-1 here. They were lucky in that game as Atletico finished with an xG of 1.93 but nevertheless they are on a good run and playing with confidence. They have definitely been a much better side at home, and this will be a good test for Barcelona. It’s interesting that Barcelona were a bigger price to beat Mallorca last weekend considering that Granada are on a good run here. We landed a small bet on Barcelona that day, but I believe the 1.82 is a little too short here. Granada are playing good football at the moment and they are comfortable at home – Barcelona are still working through issues at the back, and the 1.82 looks a good value lay.

The Ultra Says:
Two points lay (liability) Barcelona to beat Granada at 1.82 with BETDAQ Betting Exchange!

You can view all markets here -> https://bit.ly/BDQGrnBar

REAL MADRID V VALENCIA

8pm We stay in La Liga to finish the day as Real Madrid host Valencia. Real still have the benefit of a five point lead heading into this weekend’s fixtures, however they kind of opened the door last weekend with a 1-0 loss to Getafe. Sevilla have a game in hand over them, and if they can win that it will close the gap to two points. Just when it looked like the title race was over, it’s been opened up a little again. I say a little, because Real won’t really fear Sevilla. If it was Barcelona (old Barcelona!) or Atletico they would be worried, but I can’t see them losing too much sleep over Sevilla. Still, they have dropped points in two of their last three games now and they can’t let that continue. The performance against Getafe was very average, and they didn’t deserve to win the game. It was lacklustre, and they will need to improve for the rest of 2022. This will be Valencia’s first game of 2022, they went into Christmas in great form, but then lost on New Years Eve to Espanyol in an entertaining 2-1 defeat. Valencia have been playing an open game lately, and this could be a fantastic game to watch.

Valencia have really improved this season. They went through a lot of chances prior to last season, and then struggled right throughout that season, but it seems that they have got to the other side an improved team. It takes a lot of courage to do that – perhaps that is something Manchester United fans will want given all the rumours about the players not wanting to train hard at the moment. That being said, Real will be expected to win here and that’s reflected in the price at 1.38. I do feel that’s a little short however, as Valencia will make them work hard and I can see Valencia scoring too. I feel the best value is in the goals market here. Over 2.5 goals is tempting at 1.62, but Both Teams To Score stands out at 1.92. Real have been conceding some sloppy goals this season, and Valencia do tend to attack a lot more these days. I feel we’ll get an open game, Real might come out on top by a goal or two, but Valencia can score.

The Ultra Says:
Two points win Both Teams To Score at 1.92 with BETDAQ Betting Exchange!

You can view all markets here -> https://bit.ly/BDQRmaVln