In another huge round of fixtures, the destiny of the 2021/22 La Liga title has become clearer than ever as it’s going to Madrid or Seville.
It may seem an odd thing to say before Christmas, but with the season just about half way through, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid are eight points clear at the top of the league table though Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla have a game in hand.
The latest La Liga 2021 betting odds rate Los Blancos as 1.15 hot favourites to lift the trophy next May, with Sevilla at 15.00 and both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona at odds of around 60.00.
That Atleti and Barca can be just about written off is a measure of the lead which Real has built over its two biggest rivals, 17 and 18 points to be precise. So it’s all down to Los Sevillanos, with due respect to third and fourth placed Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano, who are both enjoying superb seasons.
Los Blancos got back to winning ways on Wednesday night after slipping to a goalless draw at home to Cadiz last week. And it was top scorer Karim Benzema who scored two early goals, his 14th and 15th of the league season to see off Athletic Bilbao.
The Frenchman’s opener was a beauty as he took a pass from Toni Kroos and curled his shot into the far corner to give Madrid a fourth-minute lead. Three minutes later, he made it 2-0 and extended his lead in the race for the Golden Boot to four points with Real Betis striker Juanmi in pursuit.
Oihan Sancet halved the deficit with just 10 minutes played and that was that. Benzema is proving to be Real Madrid’s main man yet again, he’s also made seven assists and he looks set to fire his team to glory.
Los Rojiblancos, however, are pretty much out of the race. Los Sevillanos put a real dent in Atletico Madrid’s title hopes last week with a 2-1 win and that prompted the SBOTOP stats guys to stretch the odds on Diego Simeone’s side retaining their title while Sevilla moved into Real Madrid’s rearview.
And a shock 2-1 defeat away to Granada on Wednesday night made it four consecutive losses for the first time since Diego Simeone took charge back in 2011. Atleti’s La Liga 2021 results have been little short of disastrous and this is by far Simeone’s low point in his impressive 10-year tenure at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Sevilla are plugging away, following up their defeat of Atletico Madrid with a draw against Barcelona – a game they played much of the second half with 10 men after Jules Kounde was sent off.
Blaugrana set to spend in January
After suffering a year of turmoil, the loss of Lionel Messi, and subsequent failures on the pitch, cash-strapped Barcelona are reported to have geared up with a Goldman Sachs loan and will be back in the market to strengthen their squad.
They have stabilised off the field with the appointment of former playing legend Xavi as head coach and now they are set to swoop for a young Manchester City star. The Blaugrana are reported to have agreed a deal to buy the Sky Blues’ forward Ferran Torres with a transfer fee which could reach £55-M.
The deal is structured so that Barca pay £47-M and a further £8-M in add-ons. City paid £20-M for the player when they bought him from Valencia back in 2020 so they will make a tidy profit on the 21-year-old.
Torres is one of the brightest young stars in European football and looked set to star for the Sky Blues this season until he was sidelined by a foot injury in October. He had already scored twice in four Premier League appearances and once in the Champions League, but such is Manchester City’s array of riches they can afford to let him go and make a tidy profit.
The two clubs have a good relationship as two City officials were previously employed at Barcelona and, in summer, they came to an amicable agreement which brought Sergio Aguero to the Camp Nou. Sadly, the move didn’t work out for the 33-year-old star and he has now retired from football at the height of his powers.
Torres would be a fine addition to Xavi’s young squad and he’s the right quality of player to elevate the Blaugrana back to the top of Spanish football.
Barca are hopeful that their strong relationship with the Manchester Club will allow them to structure a deal over three or four years, though the manager may need to offload a player to make room. Barca failed to beat 10-man Sevilla on Tuesday night but they are already making gradual progress and have climbed to seventh in the table, 18 points behind Real Madrid but only two adrift of a top four spot and that is Xavi’s target
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