La Liga 2020/21 Season Odds & Preview: Real Madrid Favored for Title, Elche -118 Odds for Relegation

• The new La Liga season starts this Saturday, with the Eibar vs Celta Vigo
• Barcelona and Real Madrid, as ever, start the season as favorites
• We’ll list the odds for the winner, top four, top six and relegation below

The 2020-21 La Liga season begins this Saturday with, unsurprisingly, Real Madrid and Barcelona leading the betting. Real are currently odds-on to repeat their feat of 2019-20 with Barca being in the rare position of being in plus money, while Atletico Madrid and Sevilla also figure prominently in the La Liga odds. We’ll take a look to see who has strengthed since the initial odds were released.

As well as the traditional winner market, bookmakers have also opened odds for Top 4 and Top 6, and we’ll have a look at all three.

La Liga 2020/21 Odds

Odds taken on Sept 10

Real Head for Number 35 While Barca Turn to Koeman

Amidst the turmoil going on in Barcelona, defending champions Real Madrid look well set to retain their title, but it’s possible that their main rivals this season will be neighbors Atletico. Real do, however, start as massive favorites to win their 35th La Liga title.

In terms of new faces, Real have been quiet in the market so far but have some returning loanees who look set to feature in the squad for this campaign, such as Martin Ødegaard, Sergio Reguilón, and Álvaro Odriozola. Meanwhile, some fringe players, including James Rodríguez and Achraf Hakimi, have departed the Bernabeu. Put simply, anyone who finishes above Real will win it.

Barca, last season’s runners-up, have had a tough 2020, one that climaxed in the 8-2 hammering they took from Bayern Munich in the post-lockdown phase of the UEFA Champions League. The ripples from the fallout of that result are still being felt and, among several changes at the club, former legend Ronald Koeman has been appointed as the new head coach.

Changes in the squad have been ongoing too, with Ivan Rakitić the first to go with Arturo Vidal and Luis Suárez looking likely to follow. One player who will be staying, albeit reluctantly, is one Lionel Messi, which could be significant. While based on pure talent alone, Barca should be top three material, their season may well depend on how quickly the off-field ruckus subsides.

🚨 Ronald Koeman will meet again tomorrow with Leo Messi. The first time they met since Messi told him that he did not see himself at Barça.

[@acaradeperro] pic.twitter.com/3Pv9vK2kXg

— Managing Barça (@ManagingBarca) September 6, 2020

Atleti Under Pressure Buoyant Sevilla

Atlético Madrid have been in the title-mix with Barcelona and Real over the last few seasons and the troubles at Barcelona will only draw them ever more into the mix. Whether they have enough to challenge Real is debatable, but they will certainly give Barca a good run for their money and will look to finish ahead of an ever-improving Sevilla.

Ivo Grbić is Atleti’s only new signing to date – as goalkeeper coverage for Jan Oblak – but Thomas Partey and Saúl Ñíguez have been linked with moves away from Madrid, with the EPL their likely destination.

Sevilla are on a high after finishing fourth last season to earn a Champions League place, and then winning their record-breaking sixth Europa League – an outstanding achievement. The next level for them will be getting amongst Barca and Atleti, and right now anything seems possible for them, especially if they can maintain the momentum they have built up.

While Éver Banega and Sergio Reguilón have both departed Seville, Rakitić and Óscar Rodríguez have been brought in with the promise of more new faces on their way. This season could be very interesting for Los Nervionenses.

Sociedad on the Rise While the Yellow Submarine Strengthen

Villarreal had an outstanding campaign in 2019-20, finishing in fifth place, but have a significant gap to close – both in terms of points and quality – to get close to the top four. Francis Coquelin and Dani Parejo have been recruited from near-rivals Valencia and should make them stronger, while they have also signed Takefusa Kubo on a season-long loan. While they’ll aim to close the said gap, to retain fifth place will be a significant achievement for the Yellow Submarine.

ℹ Roberto López and @MartinZubimendi promote to the first team#Zubieta #AurreraReala pic.twitter.com/01eUBzYLvi

— Real Sociedad 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 (@RealSociedadEN) September 10, 2020

Real Sociedad’s sixth-place finish earned them a deserved place in the Europa League after an impressive campaign, and while all the noises coming out of San Sebastián indicate a club with huge ambition, the Europa League is a significant drain on resources of clubs who don’t have strength in depth.

While they have had a relatively low turnaround in players over the summer – Martin Ødegaard’s return to his parent club Real Madrid being the only big-name departure – they have pulled off a real coup in signing Manchester City’s brilliant David Silva. This could turn out to be the signing of the summer and they’ll remain competitive without gate-crashing the top two.

Barca have had a tough 2020, one that climaxed in the 8-2 hammering they took from Bayern Munich in the post-lockdown phase of the UEFA Champions League

Bilbao and Valencia Looking to Improve

Athletico Bilbao had a disappointing end to last season – they finished in the bottom half of the table – but produced enough good performances in the first two-thirds of the season to suggest better things to come. They’ve been relatively quiet in the transfer window so far, but have only lost two players – Beñat Etxebarria and Mikel San José – whose contracts expired. A good start to the campaign is vital for Bilbao.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMpYL2rh4aQ

Valencia had to watch near-neighbors, Sevilla, go from strength to strength as they themselves stuttered. Ninth place was considered a huge disappointment and there is a school of thought that says they won’t have two such poor seasons on the bounce. The losses of star names like Torres, Moreno, Coquelin, and Parejo won’t help but I do expect a flurry of new faces before the transfer window closes. It remains hard to see them making top six.

¡Buenos días, azulones! ☀️

El equipo vuelve hoy a los entrenamientos con sesión en la Ciudad Deportiva. pic.twitter.com/wbADS6bQHu

— Getafe C.F. (@GetafeCF) September 8, 2020

In terms of who may be the surprise team this season, keep an eye on Getafe. While they may have struggled post-lockdown, Getafe still managed to finish eighth and only missed out on a Europa League spot by two points. A glut of summer signings, including Enes Ünal, Cucho Hernández, Darío Poveda, and Ante Palaversa suggests they are looking to progress rather than consolidate.

Picks: Winner – Real Madrid (-134), Top 4 – Real Sociedad (+650), Top 6 – Getafe (+225)

Additional La Liga Season Preview Coverage

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• Messi Odds-On Favorite at -150 to Win La Liga Top Goalscorer in 2020/21 Season

• La Liga Matchday 1 Odds & Picks: Valencia-Levante Derby, Cadiz Debut & More