Football Betting Tips: Mark’s best bets for Matchday 25 in La Liga

No joy for our Spanish football expert Mark Sochon with last week's La Liga best bets, but our man in Madrid returns with another three for Matchday 25.

Read on for Mark's best football betting tips from La Liga - including a 2/1 shot in Valencia vs Atletico Madrid.

Over 0.5 Espanyol goals (v Alavez) @ 5/6

There’s a big relegation six-pointer at Mendizorrotza on Saturday, with Alavés and Espanyol two of six teams who look to be fighting to avoid the drop to the Segunda División.

Alavés are the clear favourites for this match, but Espanyol come into the game in their best form of the season. They made a couple of good signings in January, with Urko González de Zárate and Roberto Fernández adding a bit more quality to their side and it’s no coincidence that their results have picked up since.

Fernández has been particularly important. The 22-year-old striker has given them a bit more presence up front. He has also eased the pressure on top scorer Javi Puado, with crucial goals against Real Valladolid and Athletic Club.

They performed well against Athletic in a 1-1 draw last time out, and have also beaten Real Madrid in a run that has seen them lose just one of their last six in La Liga, scoring at least once in all of those games.

That suggests they should be competitive here against an Alavés side that has only won one of their last 13 matches in all competitions. The appointment of Chacho Coudet in December has sparked some improved performances, but they haven’t been able to turn draws into victories, and they are just one place off the bottom heading into this match.

We saw Coudet throw caution to the wind to some extent last weekend in another six-pointer at Leganés, in a match that surprisingly ended 3-3. Coudet is known as an attack-minded coach and there’s a chance he may go with his previously favoured 4-1-3-2 system here in search of a much-needed victory, with Toni Martínez coming in to partner in-form Kike García up front.

That in turn could open the game up, and with the visitors playing much better of late, I fancy them to get on the scoresheet in this game. You can back over 0.5 Espanyol goals at 5/6.

Rayo Vallecano or draw & under 3.5 goals (v Villarreal) @ 6/5

This is one of a number of intriguing games in Spain on Saturday. It features the teams in 5th and 6th places in La Liga heading into the weekend, with Villarreal currently six points better off than Rayo Vallecano.

Rayo were seen as relegation candidates at the start of the season, and they’ve not significantly added to their squad since the appointment of Iñigo Pérez last February. The 37-year-old has done a brilliant job and he has largely built on the foundations laid by his former boss Andoni Iraola who was in charge at Vallecas between 2020 and 2023.

His success has been all the more remarkable given the lack of a convincing striker, a weakness which the club again failed to address in January. Former Spain international Raúl de Tomás was supposed to be that player when he rejoined the club in 2022, but he is reportedly not even training with the first team squad at the moment, while Sergio Camello, Rayo’s most regular striker this term, is currently injured.

That leaves Randy Nteka, a midfielder by trade, as their only real option up front. Despite that glaring problem, Rayo have continued to be competitive and they gave a really good account of themselves at Barcelona on Monday night, only losing 1-0 against the league leaders.

Defensively, they have looked solid with Augusto Batalla performing well in goal, behind a settled back four. They’ve not conceded more than once in any of their last eight league games which suggests a talented Villarreal side won’t find it easy to break them down here.

The visitors do have more quality on paper and they are looking like strong Champions League candidates, with Spain in with a good chance of securing an extra place in next season’s competition.However, they’ve not won any of their six matches against top-six opponents this season, and they didn’t play particularly well last time out, drawing 1-1 at home to struggling Valencia.

On current form, I fancy the hosts to at least get a result from this game, and I’m backing Rayo Vallecano or draw and under 3.5 goals at 6/5.

Valencia to get the most corners (v Atletico Madrid) @ 2/1

This is perhaps the most interesting game this weekend in the Spanish top flight. It sees two of the country’s biggest clubs meet, in a match that will have an impact on both the relegation scrap and the title race.

Despite some improved results under Carlos Corberán, Valencia are still in deep trouble and they sit 18th in the table heading into matchday 25. Los Che have only ever been relegated once, and they are hoping that a hostile Mestalla can be a key factor in their bid for safety this season.

That has certainly been the case in recent weeks. While the Valencia supporters remain utterly disillusioned with the club’s deeply unpopular owner Peter Lim, they have got behind the team and they’ve been rewarded with three straight home victories and some much improved performances.

Only Barcelona and Real Madrid have defeated Valencia since Corberán was appointed at the end of 2024. That suggests this will not be an easy game for Atlético Madrid who remain just a point off the top of the table, despite only winning one of their last five league fixtures.

Away from home, they have not been that convincing this season in La Liga. Only once have they won an away game by more than a single goal, and that was against a Real Valladolid side that is by some distance the worst in the division.

While they have the talent to take greater control of matches, Diego Simeone has largely stuck to his guns, with his team grinding out results rather than outclassing opponents when they play on the road.

The Valladolid game aside, they’ve only scored 10 goals in 10 away league fixtures and they are averaging just 3.91 corners per game on their travels, compared to 4.18 corners conceded.

With Valencia finding some form at last, and looking much more confident at Mestalla, the home side should be really competitive here and there may be spells when they’re able to put real pressure on a visiting side that is weakened by the midfield absences of Koke and Pablo Barrios.

Despite a poor season overall, Valencia have averaged 6.56 corners per game at home in La Liga, conceding only 4.25.

Given all that, I like the look of Valencia to get the most corners at 2/1.

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 homepage...