Sunday's La Liga predictions including Barcelona vs. Espanyol

Atletico vs. Las Palmas (Sunday, 1.00pm)

Atletico Madrid will be aiming to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they welcome an in-form Las Palmas to Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday afternoon.

The home side are currently fourth in the La Liga table, 10 points behind the leaders Barcelona, while Las Palmas sit 18th, picking up nine points from their opening 11 matches of the 2024-25 campaign.

We say: Atletico Madrid 2-1 Las Palmas

Las Palmas will enter this match full of confidence, and Atletico are yet to find their best form this season; we are expecting a close match on Sunday, with Las Palmas having a goal in them against a strong Atletico defence, but the home side should have enough quality to navigate their way to all three points.

Barcelona vs. Espanyol (Sunday, 3.15pm)

Barcelona will have the chance to open up a nine-point lead at the top of the La Liga table when they welcome Catalan rivals Espanyol to their temporary home of Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Sunday afternoon.

Hansi Flick's side thumped Real Madrid 4-0 in El Clasico last weekend to move six points clear at the summit, while Espanyol, who are 17th in the division, will enter the Barcelona derby off the back of a 4-0 win over San Tirso in the Copa del Rey.

We say: Barcelona 3-1 Espanyol

Espanyol are capable of making this a tricky match for Barcelona, and we are backing the visitors to get their name on the scoresheet. However, we just cannot see a scenario which does not lead to Barcelona picking up another three points, with Flick's side in line to open up a nine-point advantage at the top of the table this weekend.

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Sevilla vs. Real Sociedad (Sunday, 5.30pm)

Sevilla will be aiming to make it three straight wins in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign with a home fixture against Real Sociedad on Sunday evening.

Garcia Pimienta's side are currently 10th in the La Liga table, boasting 15 points from their opening 11 matches of the season, while Real Sociedad are 12th, picking up 12 points from their first 11 games of 2024-25.

We say: Sevilla 1-1 Real Sociedad

Sevilla beat Real Sociedad 3-2 at Estadio Ramon last season, and there has not actually been a draw between these two sides since March 2022, but we can see the points being shared in a low-scoring affair on Sunday.

Athletic Bilbao vs. Betis (Sunday, 8.00pm)

Two teams in good form will lock horns for an intriguing battle in Spain's top flight on Sunday evening, with Athletic Bilbao welcoming Real Betis to San Mames.

Both sides have collected 18 points from their opening 11 matches of the 2024-25 campaign, with Athletic sitting fifth in the La Liga table, while Real Betis are sixth ahead of the next set of fixtures.

We say: Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Real Betis

This is a tough match to call, with both sides in strong form; Athletic will be the fresher of the two teams, though, and home advantage should also be key on Sunday, so we are expecting the Lions to shade a close contest at San Mames.