Football Betting Tips: Mark’s best bets for Matchday 26 in La Liga

No winners for our Spanish football expert Mark Sochon with last week's La Liga best bets, but our man in Madrid is back with another trifecta for Matchday 26.

Read on for Mark's best football betting tips from La Liga for this weekend's action.

Bet Builder - Girona over 0.5 corners & Girona most corners (v Celta Vigo) @ 10/11

It’s seven defeats out of eight for Girona in all competitions, but they’ve got a good opportunity to bounce back with a better result on Saturday. They take on a Celta Vigo side that has only won once away in La Liga this term, with eight of their 12 road games ending in defeat.

Celta did get a point in their last away game against Atletico Madrid, but we probably shouldn’t read too much into that, given they had a man advantage for more than 80 minutes.

There has been a huge difference between their home and away performances this season. That can perhaps partly be attributed to a young side that has buckled a bit too easily when put under pressure on the road.

Their boss Claudio Giraldez has persisted with quite an adventurous approach, but they are averaging 2.08 goals conceded per game on their travels. Their only away clean sheet came in their only away victory, which was against lowly Las Palmas back in October.

Therefore, even an out-of-sorts Girona side has to fancy their chances heading into this one. Míchel is expected to have a full squad at his disposal, so there can be no excuses on the selection front here, with Yangel Herrera likely to return in midfield after suspension ruled him out at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend.

That game somewhat predictably ended in defeat, and Girona have continued to struggle badly against strong opposition in La Liga and the Champions League this term. However, in favourable home fixtures like this, there have still been glimpses of the side that took the Spanish top flight by storm last season.

They’ve scored four on three occasions at home in La Liga and their average of 1.83 goals per home game isn’t a bad return. The Catalans have also consistently edged the corner count in front of their own fans, averaging 5.83 corners per game and only 2.83 corners against at Montilivi.

I expect them to have the better of this match and I’m using the Bet Builder to back Girona over 0.5 goals and Girona most corners at 10/11.

Sevilla or draw & under 3.5 goals (v Rayo Vallecano) @ 1/1

Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla are two of the teams that look set to compete for the lesser European places in La Liga. Even the side that finishes as low as eighth may be set for a continental adventure next term, with Spain well placed to secure an extra Champions League slot, so sixth-placed Rayo will be feeling good about their chances right now.

They head into this game after successive 1-0 defeats against Barcelona and Villarreal. They defended well in both games and haven’t conceded more than once in any of their last nine matches in La Liga which is testament to the good job their young coach Iñigo Pérez has done in terms of making them tough to break down.

However, despite plenty of attacking intent, there are still some major flaws at the other end of the pitch. The striker position has been a problem area for Rayo since the days of Andoni Iraola and continues to be a big issue.

Raul De Tomas was supposed to be the solution when he joined for a club record €11m fee in 2022, but his return to Vallecas has turned into a nightmare with the former Spain international totally out of the picture right now.

With first choice striker Sergio Camello out until April with a fractured metatarsal, midfielder Randy Nteka is likely to again fill in up front here. Rayo’s attacking problems heading into this match don’t end there, with top scorer Jorge de Frutos suspended after his red card last weekend, while attacking midfielder Isi Palazon is also a significant injury absentee.

It’s therefore hard to see where their goals are going to come from against a Sevilla side that has its own limitations, but does seem to be moving in the right direction at last.

Garcia Pimienta’s men have only lost one of their last seven in La Liga, and that defeat came against league leaders Barcelona. Their away form has picked up with seven points from their three road games so far in 2025, and in the shape of 10-goal winger Dodi Lukebakio, they at least have one player who has offered a consistent goal threat this term which is more than can be said for their opponents.

With all of Rayo’s last four matches ending with 1-0 scorelines, this may not be one for the neutrals, but the visitors look well capable of getting a good result.

Sevilla have only lost one of their last 18 matches against Rayo Vallecano in all competitions, and I’m using the Bet Builder to back Sevilla or Draw and Under 3.5 goals at 1/1.

Ayoze Perez to score anytime (v Espanyol) @ 23/20

Two in-form teams meet at the Estadi de la Ceramica in the Monday night game in La Liga this week. Villarreal are pushing hard for Champions League qualification, with four wins and two draws from their last six matches, while Espanyol have given themselves a fighting chance of beating the drop after three wins from their last six.

They stunned Real Madrid at the RCDE Stadium during that period, and they look a better side now following the January additions of striker Roberto Fernandez and holding midfielder Urko Gonzalez de Zarate.

Espanyol even managed to win away for the first time this season in the league last weekend, although they did ride their luck to some extent in the 1-0 victory over fellow strugglers Alavés. A return of just two points from 11 away games prior to that still suggests they might find it tough going at the Ceramica.

Villarreal have scored 10 goals across their three home games so far in 2025, and they have one of the best attacking combinations in La Liga, with Alex Baena setting up his fellow Spain international Ayoze Perez for a goal for the fourth time this season in their 1-0 victory at Rayo last time out.

Baena also set up Perez twice in the reverse fixture against Espanyol which Villarreal won 2-1, and no two players have combined more frequently for a goal in La Liga this season.

Perez has been a revelation since joining Villarreal from Real Betis last summer. Despite injuries, he has rattled in 11 league goals at a rate of one every 98 minutes in the Spanish top flight, a better strike-rate than Kylian Mbappe.

It marks some reversal in the fortunes of a player who was struggling for game-time at Leicester only a few years ago, and right now there are few more confident attacking players in La Liga than the 31-year old.

Having already netted twice against Espanyol this season, and with goals in three of his last four matches, I’m backing Ayoze Perez to score anytime at 23/20 in this favourable home fixture for the Yellow Submarine.

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...