Football Betting Tips: Mark’s Best Bets for Matchday 19 in La Liga

It was a profitable week for our Spanish football expert in his La Liga Matchday 18 Best Bets column and not only that, it was a full house with three winners from three at 23/20, 7/5 and 5/6.

He looks to go again with his three selections for Matchday 19 and he goes scouting for his Best Football Betting Tips for the weekend from La Liga...

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

Alavés vs Girona (Saturday 13:00) 

Alavés appointed former Celta Vigo boss Chacho Coudet as Luis García's replacement in December and it's four score draws in four matches so far for the Argentine. 

One of those draws did lead to a penalty shootout defeat against fourth tier minnows Deportiva Minera in the Copa del Rey, but Alavés have at least stopped the rot in La Liga. They played quite well in their last match, a 2-2 draw at fellow strugglers Valencia, with only a 98th minute goal from Dani Gómez denying them three points. 

Coudet is known for a fairly positive approach and while he'll be desperate to get some players in this month that are better suited to that, he looks to have enough to work with here to play on the front foot and cause problems for a Girona side that hasn't convinced away from home. 

Girona have had a three-week rest which they probably needed given how they've struggled to adapt to the demands of Champions League football. An extensive injury crisis a couple of months back didn't help, but in their last match, they looked much more like the team that took La Liga by storm last term. 

Against admittedly very poor opposition in the shape of lowly Real Valladolid, they won the shot count by a 23-1 margin and won the match 3-0 to sign off for 2024 in style in front of their own fans. 

They have only won twice on the road in La Liga this term though and this is likely to be a much more competitive game. Míchel will be forced into at least one change with former Watford star Yaser Asprilla out injured, but his side always carries a threat with their attacking wing-backs, while the likes of Bryan Gil, Arnaut Danjuma and Abel Ruiz are starting to settle up top following summer moves to Montilivi. 

With two progressive coaches who favour a positive approach, this has the potential to be quite an open game and I'm backing Both teams to score at 5/6. 

Las Palmas vs Getafe (Sunday 13:00) 

The turnaround in the fortunes of Las Palmas has been one of the stories of the season so far in Spain. The Canary Islanders were winless in 23 matches in La Liga when Diego Martínez was appointed in October. They've won six out of nine since the change to totally transform the mood around the Estadio Gran Canaria. 

While there are still reasons to think that kind of form cannot continue in the long term, they have another favourable home fixture on Sunday, against a Getafe side that has only collected two points from eight away games this term. 

Comparing the two sides, it's clear that Las Palmas have significantly more in the way of goal threats. Sandro Ramírez and Fábio Silva have both been in terrific form in recent weeks and their combined total of 12 league goals is more than the entire Getafe squad. 

The hosts should also be able to welcome back young winger Alberto Moleiro into the starting lineup here, with the 21-year-old having also chipped in with four goals this term. 

By contrast, Getafe still don't look like a team that is going to score goals. Their most convincing striker Borja Mayoral has endured an injury-ravaged campaign and is unlikely to be ready for anything more than another appearance off the bench. Without him, Pepe Bordalás has doubled down on a defensive approach that has made Getafe a tough watch, with all but one of their league games ending with two or fewer goals. 

That kind of record suggests Las Palmas may only need to find one goal to win this game as they bid to bounce back from a poor performance at Elche in the Copa del Rey last weekend. 

They may have some joy on the right flank given Getafe are missing their regular left-back Diego Rico to suspension, while Martínez will back his key central midfielder Kirian Rodríguez to pick a hole in the visiting defence at some point. 

Given the fine overall form the Canarian side are in, as well as Getafe's miserable away record, backing Las Palmas to win at 6/4 looks to offer good value here. 

Atlético Madrid vs Osasuna (Sunday 15:15) 

Right now, Atlético Madrid are probably the form team in Europe's major leagues with 13 straight wins in all competitions. Their 2-1 victory at Barcelona at the end of 2024 has catapulted them right into this title race and Diego Simeone's side will regain top spot if they win this game, given their two main rivals are in Saudi Arabia for the Super Cup this weekend. 

While it's true that not everybody is fully convinced by this Atleti side, and they certainly rode their luck in Barcelona three weeks ago, they are finding ways to win even when they don't play well, and there have been a number of areas where they have improved over the past few months. 

The likes of Javi Galán, Clement Lenglet and Giuliano Simeone have had a surprisingly large impact and the Atleti boss has responded by showing real faith in players who were not expected to have major roles this season. 

Things also seem to be clicking in the final third now, with the understanding between €75m summer signing Julián Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann growing with each passing game. They have emerged as the preferred front two, yet it's actually Alexander Sørloth who is Atleti's top scorer in La Liga, with his eight goals coming at a rate of one every 97 minutes. 

It was the Norwegian who came off the bench to fire a 96th minute winner at the Estadi Olímpic just before Christmas, and he's a very handy player to have to bring off the bench. 

The depth that Atlético Madrid possess suggests they have a real chance of continuing to compete on all fronts this season. However, their regulars should be fresh enough here, having only played one game over the past three weeks, which was a Copa del Rey win at lower league Marbella. 

That could spell trouble for Osasuna who have been very competitive at home this season, but much less impressive on the road. 4-0 defeats at Real Madrid and Girona highlight how they have crumbled in two of their toughest away games, but they do always carry a goal threat thanks to striker Ante Budimir. 

The Croatian is already in double figures this season and has netted 27 goals in La Liga since the start of last term, a record that only Sørloth and Robert Lewandowski can better. Budimir will be hoping he can take advantage of any uncertainty at the back for Atlético who may be forced into a change with centre-back José María Giménez a major injury doubt. 

Overall though, the home team still have far more obvious attacking threats. Four of their last five games in La Liga have produced three or more goals, and I'm backing Atlético Madrid and Over 2.5 goals at 1/1 here. 

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...