Betting Margins Favor Barca versus Sevilla, But Not that Much

Betting circles are abuzz with news on La Liga or the Spanish national soccer league.  The erstwhile scare that Copa del Rey defending champions Barcelona experienced later last year when archrival Real Madrid nearly toppled them on the top of the team standings has been silenced when third-division team Alcorcon knocked Real Madrid out of contention.  This was after the Catalan team had to divide their attention between home league and the Club World Cup last month.  Not only did they win the Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, they might as well be on their way to winning the Copa del Ray back to back.  But this may not be that easy if Sevilla can help it. Barcelona’s winning chances Sevilla, the Copa del Ray champions of 2007 will slug it out with Barca on Tuesday for a sure seat in the Spanish league championship, and the odds are not that wholly in favour of Barcelona.  Barcelona remains the odds-on favourite to win versus Sevilla, but not by a big margin.  This is despite their championship win in the UAE being their 6th trophy of 2009, the others being the 2009 Copa del Rey, Spanish Supercup, European Supercup, and the Spanish league title.  The odds slightly shifted when Barca hosted Villarreal last Saturday and finished in lacklustre fashion, drawing the match at 1 all. Sevilla also lost on Saturday in the hands of Atletico Madrid, ending the match at 2-1.  Both teams come from poor performances, but it is Barcelona that is expected to show more fire in their round-of-1hings going for them: their season track record so far, where they have been consistently in the top 5 teams, and their track record of winning in knockout competitions.  Barcelona’s record may be stellar, but Sevilla’s record under former coach Juan Ramos is no pushover either – 1 Copa del Rey, 2 UEFA Cups, and 1 Spanish Supercup.  Current Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez has been quoted in saying that the Copa del Ray is actually won by the team with the most luck and not the best team.  He adds that even though Barcelona is a great team, it will not be possible for his team to beat the Catalan side, as he believes in his players. Other teams that have a shot Other teams still in the running include aforementioned Alcorcon, which will be facing Racing Santander on Wednesday.  The squad defeated the Galacticos in surprising fashion, 4-0.  In the return game, Madrid could only manage a 1-0 win. Meanwhile, Valencia meets the Galician squad of Deportivo La Coruna again after less than three weeks also on Wednesday.  Odds are in favour of Valencia with its attacking squad lead by David Villa.  The odds are despite the draw result when the two squads first met in a recent game, with Valencia’s attack lacking in aggression.