La Liga returns this weekend as basement boys Almeria travel to Athletic Bilbao in search of their first win of the season. Below we’ve assessed the market to try and pick out a winner. 

BTTS Yes @ 5/6 

These two sides have had differing starts to the season as Bilbao currently sit in sixth, with Almeria bottom of the table. The away side are desperate to secure their first win, and they face a Bilbao team reeling after being beaten 3-0 by Real Sociedad. The odds for a home win are far too short to consider, at 4/11, but we can look at other markets to find some value. 

In particular, the BTTS Yes market is interesting. In Almeria’s last seven matches, both teams have scored, even against the likes of Real Madrid. They are bottom of the league due to the fact they’ve conceded a remarkable 21 goals in eight matches, however goalscoring hasn’t been an issue. They’ve scored 11, and should be able to find the net, even if they lose against Athletic Bilbao. 

Bilbao looked shaky against Sociedad but in midweek had an enthralling 2-2 draw with Getafe. I like the look of BTTS here at 5/6.

Over 3.5 goals @ 6/4

Goals are the order of the day at San Mamés and given what we have seen so far this season, we should be in for an exciting fixture. There’s seemingly a clear difference in quality but both defences can be exposed. Bilbao conceded three last time out without scoring but had previously been in good form in front of goal, scoring 11 goals over their previous five matches. 

They’re a good outfit with the attacking talents of Inaki Williams and Gorka Guruzeta and should be able to score against the leakiest backline in the division. Almeria look disorganised at the back and are likely to find life tough here, but they’ve also scored more goals than four of the top ten in La Liga. 

This should, on paper, be an end-to-end encounter with plenty of goals. The over 3.5 market at 6/4 is one that takes my fancy here.