Football Betting Tips: Mark’s Best Bets for Matchday 17 in La Liga

It was one winner from three for our Spanish football expert last week in his Best Bets column, let's see if he can go better for Matchday 17.

As always, Mark has picked out his three top Football Betting Tips for the weekend and he tells us why he's make each selection below. Remember to check out his in-depth Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid Predictions, where he picks out an excellent value 11/4 anytime scorer bet...

*You can check out all of the Football Odds we offer over at betfred.com

Espanyol vs Osasuna (Saturday 13:00)  

Saturday's action in Spain kicks off at the RCDE Stadium, where newly promoted Espanyol have won four out of seven so far. That's a pretty good return, but they have collected just one point all season aside from those four home victories, with another miserable away performance seeing them beaten at fellow strugglers Getafe on Monday.  

With 12 of their 13 points and 11 of their 15 goals coming at home, they'll be looking to bounce back in front of their own fans. Their main attacking threat has come from Javi Puado and the 26-year-old should have a major role to play in this one.  

With five goals, he's one of only two Espanyol players to have scored more than once in La Liga this term. His average of 1.9 shots per game is also comfortably the most in this Espanyol squad, so there's a strong possibility he will test Sergio Herrera in the Osasuna goal at some point this game.  

As for the visitors, they can count a player who has been one of the deadliest strikers in the Spanish top flight since the start of last term. Ante Budimir is enjoying the best period in his career at the age of 33.  

He has fired in 27 league goals since the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign, with those coming at an average of one every 135 minutes. That's a brilliant strike-rate in an Osasuna side that finished in mid-table last season, and will most likely slip a few positions from their current 7th place this term.  

Budimir has 11 goals in 17 appearances in all competitions for Vicente Moreno's side. He offers a dual threat, with his height and aerial prowess giving him the edge on many opposing centre-backs, but he's also very capable with the ball at his feet and his average of 2.6 shots per game is the most he's managed in his six seasons in La Liga.  

Up against the second worst defence in the Spanish top flight, there should be more opportunities for the Croatian in this game.  

With both sides boasting one very obvious goal threat that they'll look to utilise, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Ante Budimir 1+ shots on target and Javi Puado 1+ shots on target at 5/4.  

Sevilla vs Celta Vigo (Saturday 17:30)  

Sevilla were involved in the game of the weekend in Spain on matchday 16. They raced into a surprise 3-1 lead at the Metropolitano, with fine goals from Dodi Lukebakio, Isaac Romero and Juanlu Sánchez. However, Atlético Madrid fought back to claim a 4-3 win and deny summer appointment García Pimienta what would have been the most significant victory of his Sevilla reign to date.  

He'll be happy for his side to get back to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán this weekend. Sevilla have won half of their home fixtures this term, and they should fancy this against a Celta Vigo side that has impressed in their own stadium, but struggled away, losing five out of seven on the road in La Liga.  

They've conceded 18 goals across those away matches, and only two teams have let in more goals overall this season. That's a reflection of the positive mindset of Celta boss Claudio Giráldez who has been really bold with his faith in youth and tendency to play attacking football. 

However, it's starting to feel like Celta are a bit too naive when they play away. They are making it too easy for opposing sides to break them down and there should be space for Sevilla's attacking players to operate in here. 

The best of those players is Lukebakio and by a clear margin. The Belgian winger has been one of the main success stories of Sevilla's questionable recruitment strategy over the past couple of years, and he has scored seven of his team's 17 league goals this term. 

He's a player who is happy to shoot from almost any position and clearly has been given licence to do so. Aside from a handful of Real Madrid and Barcelona players, Lukebakio is taking more shots than anyone in La Liga this season, with an average of 2.8 per game. 

While Celta are perhaps the stronger side overall, their really poor away record suggests that home advantage may swing this game in the Andalusian team's favour. I'm using the Bet Builder to back Sevilla over 0.5 goals and Dodi Lukebakio 1+ shots on target at 3/4. 

Alavés vs Athletic Club (Sunday 15:15) 

There's a Basque derby in Vitoria on Sunday, with an Alavés side that is under new management, taking on in-form Athletic Club. 

The odds for this game point towards a low-scoring affair, but that may not necessarily be the case given Alavés have recently appointed a much more attack-minded coach in the shape of Chacho Coudet, to replace Luis García. 

While they had suffered a serious dip in form, García's dismissal seemed incredibly harsh given the excellent work he had done in leading Alavés back to the top flight, before securing an unexpected top half finish last term. 

Coudet's only previous stint in La Liga, or indeed anywhere in Europe, saw him lead what was quite an entertaining Celta Vigo side between 2020 and 2022. He was known for an attacking 4-1-3-2 system that saw his team look to put intense pressure on opposing defences. It was the recipe for some cracking matches, particularly early on in his stay in Galicia.  

There are doubts as to whether Alavés have the personnel to replicate that, but his first two games suggest the Argentine coach is at least going to try to get them playing on the front foot. 

Alavés had 30 attempts across 120 minutes against fourth tier minnows Deportiva Minera in his opening match in the Copa del Rey, but a 2-2 draw and a penalty shootout defeat was far from the ideal start to the Coudet era. 

There were more positives from their performance last weekend though, with striker Kike García again scoring twice in a 2-2 draw away to Osasuna in La Liga. 

While many Alavés fans were as perplexed as everyone else at the sacking of García, Mendizorroza should still be rocking for this derby clash, as they welcome their new boss. 

Athletic are a strong side and they will be the clear favourites having reeled off six wins on the bounce since the last international break. There could be a bit of fatigue in the visiting camp though after an intense period, with this their seventh game in 22 days. 

They were in Turkey in midweek, seeing off Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce with a brace from Iñaki Williams, but with a few injury problems cropping up following the trip to Istanbul, the intensity of an away Basque derby is perhaps not what they really need this weekend. 

Under new management, I can see a more adventurous Alavés being more competitive than many are expecting here, and I'm backing Both teams to score at 11/10.

Mark Sochon primarily covers Spanish Football for us at Betfred Insights. You can check out Mark's La Liga Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...