Football Betting Tips: Mark’s Best Bets for Matchday 20 in La Liga

It is swings and roundabouts in this tipping malarkey and after three winners from three in Matchday 18, it was none from three in Week 19.

He looks to go again with his three selections for Matchday 20 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

Girona vs Sevilla (Saturday 13:00) 

Girona have won their last six matches against Sevilla, a stark reflection on how the fortunes of these clubs have changed in recent years. The 2024/25 campaign has not been smooth sailing as far as the Catalans are concerned, but Míchel's side are improving after a shaky start and they look good to put three more points on the board here. 

With players recovering from injury and more of their summer signings starting to settle, Girona's recent form has been better with five wins from their last eight in La Liga. They were pretty fortunate to win 1-0 at Alavés last time out, but they've been much more convincing in their last few home games, with Espanyol and Real Valladolid both defeated by three goal margins at Montilivi. 

It'd be an exaggeration to say they are getting back towards the levels of last season. With the likes of Savinho and Artem Dovbyk no longer around, that was always going to be virtually impossible, and it's striking that their top scorer in La Liga is veteran forward Cristhian Stuani with four goals, despite not starting a single game. 

However, they are sharing the goals around nicely with their 27 goals coming from 16 different scorers. It's precisely these kinds of matches where their attacking play has been impressive, with Girona winning all four home games against bottom half opposition, scoring 15 in the process. 

As for Sevilla, they remain somewhat unconvincing. García Pimienta can point to some slight improvements under his management, but he doesn't really have the personnel to fully implement the possession-based style of football he favours. 

Only a late goalkeeping error from Liverpool-bound Giorgi Mamardashvili enabled them to salvage a point from their home game against lowly Valencia last weekend. They've shipped four in each of their last two away fixtures, and while they were tough trips to the Madrid clubs, there is a softness to this Sevilla side when they travel. 

I'm backing the hosts to exploit that in this game, and I'm going with Girona to win at 19/20.

Real Betis vs Alavés (Saturday 17:30) 

Real Betis have qualified for Europe in each of the last four seasons, with Manuel Pellegrini doing a brilliant job in the green and white half of Seville. However, it does feel as though the Chilean increasingly has his hands tied, in terms of how much progress can be made with a squad that is hit by major departures every transfer window. 

They've already let promising 19-year-old winger Assane Diao and first choice keeper Rui Silva leave this month, with no replacements signed as of yet. With six players currently sidelined due to injury, Betis are not in great shape right now and they face a real battle to make the European positions again, with Los Verdiblancos 10th at the midway point. 

It has been a grim week on the pitch too, with a surprise 1-0 defeat at relegation threatened Real Valladolid last weekend, followed by a 5-1 humiliation at Barcelona in the Copa del Rey. 

Pellegrini does at least have Isco back from the injury problems that haunted him in the second half of 2024, but the former Real Madrid man's creativity could do with being complemented by more clinical finishing, with the Betis frontline frequently misfiring. 

Their problems are perhaps best summed up by winger Abde Ez who has had 45 shots in La Liga this term, more than any other player who may feature in this game, but only scored one goal. 

Alavés still head into this game as the clear underdogs, but they have to fancy their chances of getting a result the way Betis are playing. It's four draws and one defeat from five matches in all competitions for the Basque side so far under their new boss Chacho Coudet. 

That solitary loss came last weekend against Girona, but they were really unfortunate to lose that game. They won the shot count by an 11-3 margin, with the Catalans scoring with their first and only attempt on target in the 93rd minute. 

While Alavés are another club who could probably do with some fresh additions this month, there have at least been some signs that Coudet is getting a response out of these players. Striker Kike García has been in pretty good form since the change in the dugout, while winger Carlos Vicente has been their standout performer this term overall. 

I expect the visitors to be competitive here against an unconvincing Betis side, and I'm backing Draw or Alavés at 21/20 in the Double Chance market. 

Villarreal vs Mallorca (Monday 20:00)  

There's a top six showdown at the Estadio de la Cerámica on Monday night, with Villarreal and Mallorca tied on 30 points at the midway point in the season. 

Both sides are having better campaigns than last time around, particularly Mallorca who finished on only 40 points in 15th place under Javier Aguirre in La Liga 2023/24. Summer appointment Jagoba Arrasate is doing an excellent job with this team and only building on the positive reputation he had already built up during a long spell at Osasuna. 

They've won four of their last six in the league, and while it has been a poor start to 2025 with 3-0 cup defeats against Pontevedra and Real Madrid, they should be well rested heading into this game with 11 days having passed since their Supercopa exit in Saudi Arabia. 

While Mallorca are not a free-scoring side, they have more than enough in the final third to cause problems for an unconvincing Villarreal defence that has let in 31 goals in La Liga. Only Real Valladold have conceded more heading into matchday 20. 

There's little reason to think the Yellow Submarine will be any more convincing at the back in this game. They have a major injury doubt over first choice keeper Diego Conde, while Marcelino still hasn't settled on a preferred central defensive pairing. 

He handed Juan Foyth, a full-back by trade, his first start of the season at centre-back last time out in the defeat at Real Sociedad. However, it's hard to see that being a viable plan against Mallorca's powerful striker Vedat Muriqi and a return for 39-year-old Raúl Albiol is perhaps more likely here. 

Those defensive problems have contributed to Villarreal keeping just one clean sheet in 21 competitive games this season. Fortunately, they do have plenty to offer at the other end, with La Liga's assist king Álex Baena having another good season, while there should be more balance to their attacking play in this game with right-winger Yéremy Pino returning from suspension. 

All but one of Villarreal's home fixtures this season has produced goals for each team, and I think there's value in backing Both teams to score at 10/11 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...