Football betting is popular in Spain, with many betting and casino apps available. La Liga is almost a religious experience for many fans, so its popularity as a betting medium is no surprise.
When it comes to the teams that feature highly, few can match up to Barcelona. The 2023/34 season is fast approaching, so let’s look at the betting for La Liga and the season ahead.
New season, new challenges
The most significant change for Barcelona this season will be the move away from Camp Nou while it is being refurbished. The Olympic Stadium will be their home, the pinnacle of the 1992 games and the former home of their cross-city rivals, Espanyol.
It’s been a relatively quiet summer on the transfer front. Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have left for Inter Miami to team up with Lionel Messi, with Ilkay Gundogan the main arrival on a free transfer from Manchester City.
Are these new surroundings and minor changes to the squad enough for the 2022/23 champions to be usurped as favourites for the title by Real Madrid? Only time will tell, but those who believe Barcelona will be champions once more will be amazed that they do not head the betting.
The opening weeks
Friday, August 11th is the opening day of the La Liga season, but Barcelona are not in action until Sunday when they are on the road at Getafe. They open their home campaign the following Sunday when Cadiz visit.
Trips to Villarreal and Osasuna come up in Matchdays three and four with just that single home match in Barcelona’s opening four games of the season. For those who like a bet on the Blaugrana, away matches add more value to the price. Barca are generally a 4/7 shot away at Getafe at the time of writing.
The biggest games
The matches formerly known as ‘El Clasico’ will once more be the most ringed in betting calendars. When Barcelona takes on Real Madrid, the world sits, watches and places bets on a game that almost always lives up to the hype.
This season the two games are on October 29th at Estadi Olimpic, with the return leg on April 21st at the Santiago Bernabeu. These games will likely see the highest turnover of betting during the season.
A two-horse race?
Looking at the betting, it’s easy to think that it’s a straight fight between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Just twice in the last 19 seasons, a team other than this pair have won La Liga. The 2013/14 and 2020/21 seasons saw Atletico Madrid crowned champions, while 14 of those 19 years saw Barcelona and Real Madrid as the top two in the league.
Barcelona won the league by 10 points last season but find themselves as only the second favourite to lift the title this time around. They are as big as 33/1 to go unbeaten for those with the ultimate confidence through the season.
Atletico Madrid are the only other team in La Liga betting at a single-figure price. Real Madrid are 1/1, Barcelona are 7/5, and Atletico are generally 8/1 to lift the title. You can get 50/1 or bigger on every other team, so it looks set to be Real Madrid v Barca again for the La Liga title.
