La Liga Betting Tips

About the Primera División

The Primera División, commonly known as LaLiga, is the top men's professional football league in the Spanish league system. It is administered by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and is contested by 20 teams.

The three last-placed teams are relegated to the Segunda División at the end of each season and are replaced by the top two teams and a play-off winner of that league.

Since its inception, a total of 62 teams have participated in La Liga. Nine teams have been crowned champions, with Barcelona winning the inaugural La Liga and Real Madrid taking the title a record 35 times, most recently in the 2021-22 season.

In the 1940s, Valencia, Atlético Madrid and Barcelona proved to be the strongest clubs, winning several titles. Real Madrid and Barcelona dominated the championship in the 1950s, winning four La Liga titles each in the decade.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Real Madrid dominated La Liga with fourteen titles, while Atlético Madrid won four.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Real Madrid led La Liga, but Basque clubs Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad also had their share of success, winning two league titles each.

Since the 1990s, Barcelona have dominated the league, winning sixteen titles to date.

La Liga teams competing in 2023-24 include: Alavés, Almería, Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Cadiz, Celta Vigo, Getafe, Girona, Granada, Las Palmas, Mallorca, Osasuna, Rayo Vallecano, Real Betis, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Valencia, Villarreal.

Spanish La Liga style

Since the tournament has a large concentration of strong players, it is logical to expect an appropriate playing style from it.

It is “sharpened” to demonstrate its best qualities. In Spain, all players have a high level of technical equipment. They know how to play passing and operate effectively in limited spaces.

That’s why most teams in Spanish football strive to play short passes and constantly want to have a territorial advantage. This has been the hallmark of local football since the late 00s. Since Guardiola's tiki-taka sparked a football revolution.

Basic characteristics of a La Liga match

The emotional component is of great importance in Spanish football. In view of this, several features of the “character” of the average La Liga match can be identified:

• A large number of small fouls that develop into more serious ones. All this entails an abundance of yellow cards. Sometimes a Spanish referee can issue about 10 cards during a match.
  
  
• For La Liga, red cards are “gray everyday life”. Roughness on the field and arguments with the referee are often reasons for issuing a second yellow card. Particularly successful in this regard are the representatives of the lower part of the standings.
  
  
• Along with the Premier League, La Liga is the leader in the number of minutes added. The reason for this was multiple stoppages due to fouls and disputes between players and referees.

Manifestations of violent temperament among Spanish players and referees are relevant not only for the national championship.

It has been repeatedly possible to observe how Spanish participants in European cups (including referees) relegate football to the background with their behavior and decisions.

Axioms of the Primera División

La Liga has its own characteristics and trends. But beyond this there is something that is repeated so often that the football community is surprised when it does not happen. Let's consider the so-called “axioms” of the Spanish championship:

• Matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid invariably feature a high number of fouls and warnings. The country's most successful teams have world-class professionals.

  However, this confrontation has a big history, which “accumulates nerves” before each match. In such a situation, even the Ballon d'Or nominees lose their nerves.

• The Spanish La Liga is one of the leaders in the use of video replays. And this is not at all surprising. Indeed, in addition to controversial situations regarding scoring a goal or a penalty, another motive arises to turn to the screens. And these are red cards.

  Flagrant fouls are a given in Spain and the referee often has reason to show a red card. So if there is an opportunity to bet on the number of video replays in a match, then it is worth seriously considering it.

In addition to the above-mentioned features of La Liga, it is worth noting another, less pronounced one. It is associated with teams from the bottom of the standings.

In most cases, they do not gravitate towards total control of the ball. That is, such a game is open, and, as they say, “on a collision course.”

In view of this, head-to-head meetings between outsiders can be very productive. Bookmakers often underestimate the scoring potential of underdog matches. And therefore, you can try to bet more on the total with a “value” odds.

Is Primera División the most predictable tournament?

The Spanish Football Championship is one of the most popular tournaments in the world. There is a lot of money in it. For this reason, historically popular teams have huge opportunities. Which puts the other half of the championship at a very disadvantage.

They can't even try to compete with the top half of the table. There is indeed some predictability in this. As already mentioned, Spain is the least favorable environment for underdogs. This should be taken into account when choosing a bet.

In addition, do not forget about the playing style and temperament characteristics. They sometimes greatly influence the final outcome or performance of the match.

Especially when teams of comparable class play. In view of this, it is logical to pay more attention to secondary statistics. For example, the number of fouls, yellow cards or accurate shots on goal.

Despite all the existing features and trends, each match of the Spanish championship is unique. Under certain conditions, it can become the complete opposite of the prevailing ideas about the tournament.

Therefore, each bet must be verified and justified as much as possible. Features and trends only guide the course of thought.