[Mario]

SPAIN LA LIGA
10/19/2014

Atletico Madrid vs Espanyol

Home - Atletico Madrid
Last away matches - L-W-L-W-D-D

Atletico have won two of their last three La Liga outings but defeat to Valencia prior to the international break leaves them fifth in the table - five points off leaders Barcelona. In the absence of any top-flight action in recent weeks, discussion has continued in the Spanish media over Atletico's style of play, with critics in some quarters questioning the physicality and aggression of Diego Simeone's men.

Away - Espanyol
Last away matches - D-L-D-L-D-L

Espanyol, however, are down in ninth position and are only five points behind their opponents and they know a win this weekend will move them up a couple of places.Their recent form has been quite impressive with two wins and two draws from their last five matches and they head into this one on the back of a 2-0 home success against Real Sociedad with Lucas Vazquez and Cristhian Stuani grabbing the goals. These two met twice in La Liga last season with both teams recording a win apiece. The first clash took place in October 2013 with Espanyol claiming a surprise 1-0 win, but the champions hit back with a same scoreline reverse in the return fixture.

Asian Handicap
Home - (-1.75)
Away - (+1.75)
Pick - Atletico Madrid (-1.75)
Odds - 2.51
Stakes - 10/10
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SPAIN LA LIGA
10/19/2014

Deportivo La Coruna vs Valencia

Home - Deportivo La Coruna
Last away matches - L-L-W-L-L-L

One of Spain’s most famous clubs did well to return to the elite division after spending just one year in Segunda, but it appears they could be back to the second tier in no time. The club management have reinforced the squad over the summer despite operating on a tight budget, but things haven’t gone as planned. While Deportivo recovered well from the poor start to beat Eibar on the road, they have been pretty disappointing ever since, suffering four straight defeats and conceding 15 goals in the process. This has seen them slip to rock bottom in the La Liga standings and no doubt the current league position will place extra pressure on what is not too experienced squad, at least by La Liga standards. La Coruna’s inability to match Spain’s top sides were evident in 8-2 loss to Real Madrid and 4-1 defeat to Sevilla, with los Rojiblancos also missing a penalty in the process. This is enough to suggest Deportivo could face all sorts of problems when they face Valencia, a team that are clearly on top of their game at the moment.

Away - Valencia
Last away matches - D-W-D-L-W-L

Valencia are clearly enjoying one of the most successful seasons in recent history, with the team seriously exceeding all expectations in the opening exchanges. The new feel-good factor linked with the heavy investment in the playing squad has helped new boss Nuno Espirito Santo and his players, with los Che yet to suffer the first setback of the season. While holding Sevilla and Real Sociedad to 1-1 draws on the road, Valencia have won the remaining five league fixtures, with 3-1 triumph over holders Atletico Madrid arguably the best result so far. It was quite impressive to watch los Che completely outclass one of Europe’s top sides and seeing as how the players are brimming with confidence at the moment, rock-bottom Deportivo La Coruna are unlikely to cause them too many problems. Valencia won the only away fixture against a bottom-table side, hammering Getafe 3-0, and that should give us a clear idea as to what to expect from the match in Galicia, especially given that los Che have won six and drawn two of last eight matches at Riazor.

Asian Handicap
Home - (+0.75)
Away - (-0.75)
Pick - Valencia (-0.75)
Odds - 2.17
Stakes - 9/10
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SPAIN LA LIGA
10/19/2014

Elche vs Sevilla

Home - Elche
Last away matches - D-L-W-L-W-D

Despite losing on the final day of last season, Elche survived the league campaign by finishing one point above the relegation zone, and everything suggests los Ilicitanos are in for another very difficult campaign. While seeing a number of important players leave in the summer, the club seem to have failed to recruit proper replacements, and it is fair to say nobody was surprised by their poor start to the season. Oddly enough, Elche have done pretty well on the road, beating Rayo Vallecano and sharing spoils with Almeria while losing to El Clasico rivals, but their home performances leave a lot to be desired. Los Ilicitanos were beaten at home by both Eibar and Celta Vigo while playing out a 1-1 draw with Granada, and having largely disappointed when facing bottom-table sides, they have little to hope for ahead of the clash with very good Sevilla. And with several important players missing for the hosts, Elche could be in for yet another defeat in front of the home fans.

Away - Sevilla
Last away matches - D-L-W-W-W-L

Sevilla produced quite a coup by lifting the Europa League trophy and finishing in La Liga top 5 amidst serious financial difficulty last term and no doubt last season was a huge boost for the club. Los Rojiblancos made few more shrewd signings this summer while keeping hold of most key players, and with new recruits hitting the ground running early on, Unai Emery’s side have continued the rich vein of form. While taking four points from first two EL group games, Sevilla impressed to take 16 points from seven league fixtures, climbing to third place in the process. And while many believed the 4-0 loss to reigning champions Atletico Madrid would be difficult to accept, the team produced a perfect response having hammered Deportivo La Coruna 4-1 last time out. Unai Emery did have several important players away on international duty, but with all but one of them resuming training on Thursday, Sevilla should feel no ill effects of the international break. And having already defeated Espanyol and Cordoba on the road, los Rojiblancos will be feeling confident ahead of the trip to Alicante.

Asian Handicap
Home - (+0.75)
Away - (-0.75)
Pick - Sevilla (-0.75)
Odds - 2.44
Stakes - 10/10