„If it ain‘t broke, don‘t fix it.“ In daily life, this often rings true, but never as much when going over next Sunday‘s La Liga matches. To those who‘ve followed TeamCBK and been regular members of our group, the weekly one-trick-pony card Bet Builders have become a stable and the aforementioned saying so often applies to that particularly. All La Liga over the course of the weekend are next Sunday (due to the Copa del Rey final taking place next Saturday) so there‘s 8 games on a Sunday, and I‘m massively excited about three of them in succession – kick off wise.
Relegation rivals to go all in at Mendizorrotza – Alavés vs. Huesca
Kick off: 15:15 BST
Referee: Hernández² (Alejandro José Hernández Hernández)
Hosts Alavés currently sit 19th in La Liga with 24 points but there‘s no reason for them to fret at the prospect of going for a result against Huesca (16th, 27 points). Alavés have been a mainstay of us for a long time due to their fantastic record for picking up cards – 37 cards at home this season and 41 for their opponents, seeing an average of 2.47 – 2.73 from 15 matches. Opponents Huesca, however have not been a regular customer for us due to tamer card records but there‘s a giant x factor in the occasion (a complete six pointer) of this type of match. It‘s also worth pointing out that Huesca has been picking up above their average in the last six away games and opponents have been similarly carded (more than one each in all but against Barcelona). The icing on the cake to a game like this is Alejandro José Hernández Hernández with a name so nice he had to have it twice, but he‘s definitely not a nice referee to have (which, in my books, is definitely a compliment). With a card average of more than 5 (83 cards given, 15 games refereed) we‘ll most likely see him frantically going into his pockets from the get-go. While averages are often deceptive, his consistency is good and both sides are likely to get in his book. Seemingly he does not have fond memories of the Alavés stadium as he‘s given 17 of his cards this season there – Alavés vs. Barcelona saw four each and opponents Real Madrid lost the card game 6-3 against the hosts.
Clash of the C-words – Cádiz vs. Celta Vigo
Kick off: 17:30 BST
Referee: Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes
Another one of our regular teams is Celta Vigo who have been, pardon the French, shit-hot for cards this season. Always ready to greet their opponent with a cheeky elbow or the occasional two-footer but aside from that they have heaps of football in them – Iago Aspas and Santi Mina with a combined record of 20 goals which is somewhat of an anomaly for a team not competing for a top spot in this league, with Nolito and Denis Suarez having contributed 12 assists from the attacking midfielder positions. The hosts of Cádiz have, similarly to other rookies Huesca, picked up the pace in the cards at the turn of the new year and, while sitting safe in the league at the moment, they‘re bound to feel the heat of Celta who usually bring enough fight for both teams to enjoy. Speaking of fighting we got Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes en route to the Andalucian city, definitely with filled suitcases of grievances he‘ll take out on the pitch. With a card tally of 91 from 16 matches officiated (5.68 on average for avid mathematicians) he‘s well suited to oversee a match filled to the brim with two footers. He‘s taken charge of Celta twice this season (giving 7 cards to them, 6 to opponents) and Cádiz once (six yellows and two reds vs. Bilbao) and his consistency is commendable.
Let’s get ready to rumble! – Getafe vs. Real Madrid
Kick off: 20:00 BST
Referee: José María Sánchez Martínez
It‘s my favorite time of the weekend when the absolute European kings of shithousery – Getafe – will take the stage once again and it‘s starting to feel like jumping on their games for a card bet is just a default. Well, perhaps not exactly, but it‘s hard to ignore both their form and record. Sixteen out of sixteen home games so far have seen them pick up more than one card and their opponents as well always pick up more than one against them. Getafe must serve up the worst pre-match Paella in the whole of the Iberian peninsula, since teams from varying ranges of quality from Barca and Sevilla to Osasuna and Eibar all show up in their worst discipline when entering Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Also worth noting that none of the matches played here see less than five cards this season. So, getting on them is a no brainer to me, really. Are we jinxing this over the weekend? Real Madrid isn‘t necessarily a high performer in terms of picking up cards since they can usually play to their strengths rather than their weaknesses (opposite to Getafe) but the fact that Getafe can just make any opponent seem like Wimbledon in 1988 appeals to me. So, are we appointed a Martin Atkinson mannequin-esque lenient ref? Well, the ref is someone who‘s always bound to have some of that Paella too and José María Sánchez Martínez has given 76 cards from his 13 matches refereed this season (5.8 on average) and I‘ll be damned if he doesn‘t add at least five to that tally.
There are three bets TeamCBK has taken via Bet365′ Bet Builder. Feel free to tail but note we’ve taken them early since odds drop quite frequently on those, which is the case with Alavés and Huesca. Each bet was shared 15th of April to our Prematch channel so our members are assured the best prices. Each bet was shared as a two unit bet.
Alavés – Huesca
Cádiz – Celta Vigo
Getafe – Real Madrid
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