La Liga: Real Oviedo vs Barcelona - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

Barcelona will report for early La Liga duty this week as they take on struggling Real Oviedo at Estadio Carlos Tartiere on Friday morning. Betting sites in NZ are moving early as well to roll out their odds for the clash.

Barcelona can dethrone Real Madrid, at least temporarily, with a win against Oviedo. Veljko Paunovic’s men, meanwhile, are still adjusting to life in La Liga after their top-flight return with four losses in five outings.

Can they cause an upset? Continue reading our Real Oviedo vs Barcelona preview to find out what we think, and for the best football tips on this match.

Real Oviedo

Real Oviedo are playing their first first La Liga campaign in 24 years, but they have had a rough start to their season so far. They lost 1-0 to Elche at Estadio Martinez Valero last weekend, and the scoreline could have been worse if Aaron Escandell did not produce a stellar display on goal. 
Los Azules have scored just once this season, with Leander Dendoncker netting the winner against Real Sociedad at home. Since then, they have suffered two defeats, conceding three goals unanswered.

Football betting sites, therefore, are offering double-digit odds for an Oviedo win against a Barcelona side that have won three matches in a row across all competitions.

Team news: Former Arsenal star Santi Cazorla played a vital role in Oviedo’s La Liga promotion, but the 40-year-old is expected to start on the bench once again.

Predicted Lineup: Escandell; Vidal, Carmo, Calvo, Alhassane; Reina, Dendoncker; Hassan, Ilic, Brekalo; Rondon.

Barcelona 

Ferran Torres fired in a brace as Barcelona steamrolled Getafe 3-0 at Estadi Johan Cruyff last weekend. The Spain international handed the hosts a comfortable 2-0 in the first half before Dani Olmo delivered the icing on the cake in the second half.

Hansi Flick’s men, however, have not looked so comfortable on the road. They needed a last minute goal from Unai Elgezabal at Levante and shared the spoils with Rayo Vallecano at Estadio de Vallecas. 

Team news: Lamine Yamal is still struggling with a groin issue, while Fermin Lopez has also joined the injury list.

Predicted Lineup: J Garcia; Kounde, E Garcia, Araujo, Martin; De Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Olmo, Rashford; Torres.

• Real Oviedo and Barcelona are meeting for the first time in 24 years.
• Real Oviedo have won two of their last three matches against Barcelona.
• Real Oviedo have won three of their last four home matches against Barcelona.

Looking at head-to-head records won’t be particularly useful for predicting this match, as these two sides haven’t faced each other in close to two and a half decades. So, Oviedo’s strong home record against Barcelona doesn’t carry much weight.

Even though Yamal has been unavailable for the Blaugrana, they have not had any problems finding the back of the net. Barcelona have scored 15 goals so far with an xG of 12.43. That means, they are outperforming their xG by 2.57. In fact, they top the charts in both goals scored and xG in La Liga.

Real Oviedo, on the contrary, are at the bottom of the xG table. They have only managed to hit 3.21 in xG so far, and scored only one goal.

Bottom line: everything points to a big win for Barcelona in this match.

Barcelona 3-0 Real Oviedo @ $8.50

Torres, Rashford, Olmo, Raphinha - Hansi Flick has a wealth of attacking assets at his disposal heading into this Oviedo tie. They are averaging three goals per match in La Liga and against a newly promoted side, Barcelona will fancy their chances of securing another comfortable win. 
Oviedo have scored eight goals so far, and will likely deploy a low block in this match. But, Barcelona have enough ammunition to claim a 3-0 win. Bet365 is offering a tempting return of $8.50, and we believe it’s worth taking the risk.