Football Betting Tips: Mark’s Best Bets for Matchday 29 in La Liga

After a spectacular run through the end of February and early part of March, the past two match days have been a bit below-par for our Spanish Football expert going two of six across MD 27 & 28. He did however nail the Barcelona vs Osasuna match on Thursday evening as the home side won with under 3.5 goals scored along with over 6.5 corners for the Catalan giants.

However, he's back again this week with his Football Betting Tips for Matchday 29. You can find his reasoning below....

Alavés vs Rayo Vallecano (Saturday 17:30)  

Alavés are just one place above the relegation zone heading into matchday 29, and they missed a golden chance to pick up three points last time out, conceding 90th and 95th minute goals to only draw 2-2 away to relegation rivals Las Palmas.  

They did win their last home game against Villarreal though, a surprise success and a huge boost for their boss Chacho Coudet who was starting to come under a bit of pressure. 

Performance levels have not been bad since the Argentine took over in early December, but with 57% of his matches ending level, Alavés have struggled to pull away from trouble. 

Their main goal threat has come from Kike García who has really thrived since the change in the dugout. Often only a back-up to loan striker Samu Aghehowa last season, the ex-Middlesbrough player has enjoyed being the main man again, with 10 goals in 13 appearances in all competitions since Coudet took charge.  

He wasn't fully fit a fortnight ago, and didn't make it off the bench in Gran Canaria, but given his recent goalscoring record, and the lack of goals coming from elsewhere in this team, it's hard to see him not being recalled to the starting lineup on Saturday. 

The chances of an Alavés victory are significantly boosted by the away team's selection issues. While Rayo Vallecano have been defending well on their travels this term, they are missing their first choice centre-backs for this game, with Florian Lejeune suspended and Abdul Mumin sidelined with an injury. 

Their success this season has largely been thanks to the strength of their best starting lineup, but Rayo do not have a deep squad and they are likely to struggle to plug those central defensive holes. 

Injury problems have contributed to a five-game winless run for the Madrid club heading into this fixture, and against a highly motivated Alavés side that is fighting for their lives, it's hard to see things getting any better here. 

Given those significant issues for Rayo at the back, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Alavés over 0.5 goals and Kike García 1+ shots on target at 10/11. 

Getafe vs Villarreal (Sunday 13:00) 

With six wins and only two defeats from their 10 league matches so far in 2025, Getafe have gone from relegation candidates to unlikely European hopefuls. They'd only be five points behind opponents Villarreal, in what's likely to be the last of the Champions League places, were they to win this match. 

Even in the first half of the campaign they were solid at the back, and they boast the second best defensive record in the division with only 0.82 goals per game conceded. 

What's changed is that they've started to offer a significantly greater attacking threat. Striker Borja Mayoral, who scored 15 in La Liga last term, is fit again and while he's still regularly only used off the bench, his eye for a goal has helped to turn a few potential draws into victories. 

They also did some smart business in January, with Ramón Terrats, Juanmi and Juan Bernat arriving to bolster the options of José Bordalás. Terrats scored both goals in a 2-1 win at Osasuna last time out. He's ineligible this weekend against his parent club, but that may present an opportunity to emerging young winger Coba da Costa who looks like a talent. 

Getafe defeated Atlético Madrid in their last outing at the Coliseum, and they have to fancy their chances here against a Villarreal side that has lost their last two matches, against lowly Alavés and title-chasing Real Madrid. 

With Real Betis breathing down their necks, Villarreal now face a real battle for 5th place which is expected to bring with it the riches of Champions League football. While they've tightened up defensively since the turn of the year, they've not been at their best going forwards in recent weeks, with just three goals scored in their last four matches. 

They are also missing midfielder Pape Gueye to injury here too. Marcelino would have been really keen to have the combative Senegalese international available for this fixture, as there's a real chance that a midfield pairing of Dani Parejo and Santi Comesaña will get overrun by this physical Getafe side. 

I can see the in-form hosts at the very least getting a point from this game, and I'm using the Bet Builder to back Getafe or Draw and Under 3.5 goals at 10/11. 

Real Betis vs Sevilla (Sunday 20:00) 

It's derby day in Seville on Sunday, and Spain's fiercest city rivalry is always a great spectacle off the pitch, even if the game doesn't always live up to the hype. 

The Estadio Benito Villamarín will be rocking by kick-off, with 60,000 Béticos hoping to roar their team on to a sixth straight league victory, with Manuel Pellegrini's side now dreaming of the Champions League after a brilliant run of results. 

While the impact of January addition Antony has made headlines and has certainly been a key factor in a drastic upturn in the fortunes of Betis, the man at the heart of everything is still Isco. 

The talented playmaker missed virtually all of the first half of the season due to injury, but he has since fought back to fitness, and he's looking incredibly sharp right now, with his performance levels as high as they've been since his peak years at Real Madrid. 

While Isco is perhaps best known as a creator of chances, he is carrying a real threat of his own at the moment with six goals in his last six games in all competitions, including one in a fine 3-2 comeback win at Leganés last time out. 

That came from the spot, and he is likely to get more opportunities from 12 yards before this season is out given opposing defences are struggling to deal with not only Antony, but also youngster Jesús Rodríguez who is excelling on the left flank. €13m January signing Cucho Hernández has also looked lively up top following a move from MLS side Columbus Crew. 

Isco also has the added motivation here of being up against the club where he spent an ill-fated spell in 2022. That ended with bad blood, a mutually-terminated contract and reportedly a physical confrontation between the midfielder and Sevilla's then sporting director Monchi. 

Given how his Real Madrid career had petered out in such disappointing fashion, that sorry episode could have spelled the end for Isco at the very top level, but he has really rediscovered his appetite for football since moving to the other half of Seville, and he's sure to have a big role to play again on Sunday. 

While they don't always deliver the goods on derby day, Betis are clearly the stronger of the two Seville clubs at the moment, and I'm backing Isco to score anytime at 15/8. 

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...