La Liga betting fires up!

La Liga is back with a bang this weekend and after Real Madrid’s astonishing summer spending spree it promises to be quite a season, writes Rob Treloar…

Barcelona raised the bar last term, sweeping aside all who stood before them with an exhilarating and devastating brand of attacking football. Their nearest challengers in La Liga, Real Madrid finished a massive nine points behind them. It was clear that if Madrid were to challenge Barca’s dominance in Spain, changes would need to be made.

Step forward one Florentino Perez. The man who was responsible for ushering in the era of Los Galacticos at the turn of the century began his third term as President of Real Madrid this summer. And Perez wasted little time in recruiting a new breed of Galacticos. Within ten days of his appointment Perez had spent a combined total of £140m on Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Brazilian playmaker cost £60million from AC Milan, while world footballer of the year Ronaldo was a snip at £80m from Manchester United. The spending didn’t stop there, Perez added Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso to further bolster the club’s attacking options. And unlike his previous tenure, Perez even bought a couple of defensive players, adding Valencia centre back Raul Albiol and Liverpool full-back Alvaro Arbeloa into the mix. It took the club’s summer spending to a staggering £212m! Soccer betting odds from bwin, for La Liga weekend fixtures.

The world waits with baited breath to see how the new look Real Madrid will line up. On Saturday night, bwin sponsored Real begin their title challenge at home to Deportivo La Coruna. It is a tough opening fixture for Real but one which they will certainly be expected to win. And bwin have priced Real accordingly at 1/5.

In Catalonia, Barcelona will have to wait until Monday night to get their season underway, when they face Sporting Gijon at the Nou Camp. Barca’s summer transfer activity has been fairly quiet compared to their rivals, but they have had one high profile arrival. Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has joined the Catalan club from Inter Milan, in a deal which saw Samuel Eto’o move in the opposite direction. How will the creative genius of Ibrahimovic fit into a side which is already packed full of flair? Will Barca’s decision to let Eto’o go mean they’ll miss the ‘fox in the box’ type of striker? Or will Thierry Henry simply move into a more central role? One thing is for sure, Barca are certain to be a joy to watch again this season.

bwin offer the largest number of Spanish football betting markets. Barca are 7/25 for the half-time/full time double and Zlatan is 63/100 to open his account at the Nou Camp. Why not do the two bets as a double and get combined odds of 109/100 at bwin.com

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