A new month and the same story is unfolding, as Real Madrid tightened their grip on the La Liga title race thanks to a resounding 4-0 victory over Valencia.
Los Blancos’ lead at the top of the Primera Division table stretched to seven points, though when Barcelona beat Elche 3-1 on Sunday evening the gap was reduced to five. Still, it’s a very handy lead to hold after just 11 games, and the La Liga 2025 betting odds have taken a sharp turn from Catalonia to Madrid.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice and Jude Bellingham continued his fine form for Los Blancos with a goal in three consecutive matches, curling a brilliant shot in, and Alvaro Carreras rounded off the scoring late in the game. Vinicius Junior had a penalty saved and with 11 shots on target Los Blancos were great value for their win.
Xabi Alonso’s Madrid are going well in the Champions League too, with a 100 per cent record and a tantalising clash with Liverpool on the horizon; so the Catalans will have a serious challenge if they are to stop the momentum. Los Blancos won the El Clasico just two weeks ago to assert their authority and they look in great shape.
In my SBOTOP preview of Atleti’s meeting with Sevilla, I said that Diego Simeone’s men would step on the gas and so they did as the evergreen Antoine Griezmann scored his 200th La Liga goal in a 3-0 win over Sevilla. The win keeps Los Rojiblancos handy in fourth place while Sevilla drop to 13th after clocking up a third consecutive defeat.
After a quiet first half Argentine striker Julian Alvarez opened the scoring with his seventh league goal of the campaign which keeps him second in the list of top scorers, behind Mbappe who has 13. His countryman Thiago Almada tapped in the second goal before Griezmann added the third with injury time looming.
Atleti have gone ten unbeaten in the league and are looking as solid as ever in Diego Simeone’s 15th campaign in the dugout.
The Yellow Submarine continue to rise
Villarreal moved up to second place in the La Liga table on Saturday and finished the weekend in third after pulling off a resounding 4-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano. The visitors threatened first when Alemao forced Luiz Junior into a smart save but that was the most difficult moment of a comfortable afternoon for Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica. A lovely goal from Gerard Moreno, his second of the campaign gave Villarreal a half-time lead and then they ran riot in the second 45.
Alberto Moleiro had too much time and space to turn down, and he rifled in a beauty from 25 yards to put the hosts in charge, and then he turned provider for Santi Comesana with a superb ball across the six-yard box. Villarreal piled forward in search of a fourth and it came when substitute Ayoze Perez scored his first goal of the campaign midway through the second half. It could have been worse for Vallecano who, despite having more possession, were blunt in front of goal and opened up far too easily by their hosts.
The Yellow Submarine are unbeaten at home in the league and are comfortably in the top four, on 23 points and five clear of Espanyol in fifth. Vallecano remain in the top half of the table, in tenth.
Sociedad win the Basque Derby
Real Sociedad suffered a poor set of La Liga 2025 results at the start of the campaign, but three wins in six; the third over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday have lifted La Real up to 14th place and away from the drop zone. 38,000 fans packed into the Reale Seguros Stadium, and the home fans were on their feet when Brais Mendez fired home a loose ball after Bilbao keeper Unai Simon failed to hold onto a dangerous cross from Ander Barrenetxea. But just four minutes later Bilbao’s Gorka Guruzeta scored to level before the break.
La Real were ahead again when Goncalo Guedes scored with a classy finish but the visitors hit back once more through Robert Navarro on 79 minutes. But Sociedad had one more trick to play as Jon Gorrotxategi scored with a rocket into the roof of the net to cause mayhem in the home end of the stadium.
Sociedad have the local bragging rights and have moved to within three places and two points of Bilbao. It’s been a sluggish start in the Basque but there will be plenty of smiles in San Sebastian this weekend.
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