LA LIGA/LIGUE 1 PREVIEW: The Ultra previews Saturday’s games between REAL SOCIEDAD v GIRONA, PSG v LORIENT and ATHLETIC BILBAO v REAL MADRID all with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
REAL SOCIEDAD V GIRONA
4pm It’s brilliant to have elite European football back, and we have action from La Liga and Ligue 1 on Saturday on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE! How PSG start their season will no doubt be a huge talking point given all the drama off the field this summer, but we kick off the action in La Liga as Real Sociedad host Girona. It’s a massive season ahead for Real Sociedad who secured Champions League football with a fourth place finish last season. Although they were closer to finishing third than fifth, they will still face a big battle to hold onto their spot in the Top Four. They have made a lot of improvement over the last few season though – they were consistently in the top six for three seasons before cracking the top four. They start the season against Girona and we should have a good game here. Girona would have been absolutely delighted to finish in mid-table last season after coming up from the Segunda – especially considering they only managed sixth place and came through the playoffs.
Girona were definitely more solid at home last season, but they didn’t play poorly away from home. They were a mid-table side in the away form table. Real Sociedad come into the game as the odds on favourites, currently trading 1.63 at the time of writing and I couldn’t put anyone off them at those odds. However, these two produced two very entertaining affairs in La Liga last season – we had a 5-3 win for Real Sociedad away from home and then a 2-2 when the sides met here. Both games had very high xG figures, and they were very open and entertaining games. I was very surprised to see Over 2.5 goals trading as high as 1.89 when I clicked into the market, however I won’t go too crazy with the stakes as it’s the opening weekend. I still feel it’s worth a confident bet however, and three points feels the right stake to start our Saturday.
The Ultra Says:
Three points win Over 2.5 goals at 1.89 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/SocGir
PSG V LORIENT
8pm Next we go over to Ligue 1 as PSG return to action against Lorient. As usual it’s been a hectic summer off the pitch at PSG with Messi leaving and then of course all the Mbappe drama. In fairness, is there ever a dull moment off the pitch at PSG? If it’s not transfers or money, it’s usually the dressing room rumours about the players fighting again. Luis Enrique has a huge job on his hands – he has the honours and the reputation to command the dressing room, but this has been a difficult place for any manager. Also what is a problem for every manager is they are expected to win the league, and even “not winning easily enough” is thrown at the manager! It’s going to be an entertaining season whatever happens – you’d expect them to win the title and have major issues off the pitch. How the Mbappe situation plays out is fascinating, at the moment it looks like he’ll just run down the clock on his contract and move to Real Madrid, whom PSG believe he has already agreed terms with. The offer from Saudi Arabia was absolutely crazy though!
PSG will be fully expected to get off to a winning start, and the market agrees. They are trading as short as 1.23 at the time of writing and that’s one of the shortest prices around Europe on the opening weekend. Lorient finished towards the relegation zone in 2021/22, but they moved up to tenth last season which was a great success for them. Clubs in France tend to bounce up and down the table to be honest, and the reality is Lorient are still an average side. They only created an average xG of 1.1 last season and they conceded more chances at an average of 1.5. PSG won 2-1 away from home, but Lorient produced a huge surprise when winning 3-1 here at the start of May. That was around the time PSG were having crisis after crisis! Given the current situation, I wouldn’t be rushing to back PSG given the short odds and I’m going to risk a small lay at 1.23 – let’s see how PSG start the season!
The Ultra Says:
One point lay (liability) PSG to beat Lorient at 1.23 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/PsgLrt
ATHLETIC BILBAO V REAL MADRID
8.30pm We move back to La Liga to finish Saturday with a cracker as Athletic Bilbao host Real Madrid. This is a tricky start to the season for Real Madrid, and they will kick this game off odds against to win. They are trading around 2.16 at the time of writing, and Athletic Bilbao will be tough to beat. They finished just outside the European spots last season in eighth but they had reasonably solid xG figures. They create a decent amount going forward and are solid at the back. Obviously they aren’t close to the level Real Madrid play at, but over 90 minutes they’ll always be very competitive against the big boys. I wouldn’t be rushing into a Real Madrid back on the opening weekend of the season, especially away from home. The major positive for Real Madrid backers here however is that Athletic Bilbao weren’t too hot at home last season. They lost eight of their 19 home games, and were closer to the relegation zone than the European spots on the home form table. That will no doubt tempt a few Real Madrid backers at 2.16, but I’m happy to stay out of the match odds market.
I expect a cagey game to start the season for Real Madrid. They are under a lot of pressure to bounce back from losing the La Liga title to Barcelona, and we usually don’t see an open game between these sides. The most open game was when they met on the final day of the season, but even then Under 2.5 goals won. Over 2.5 goals has only collected once in the last seven La Liga meetings, and Unders actually has a better record again if you include the meetings outside La Liga too. Under 2.5 goals is trading 1.99 here and that looks a cracking bet in what is usually a cagey affair between the two sides. You know Athletic Bilbao are going to put XI men behind the ball, and I can’t see Real Madrid making the game too open from the start either. I’d expect 0-0 at half-time and then the game to open up then in the second half, but Under 2.5 looks a very nice position at 1.99.
The Ultra Says:
Three points win Under 2.5 goals at 1.99 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/AthRea
