The Spanish top flight is often described as the best domestic league in Europe and it certainly attracts some of the world’s best players. As you might expect, Barcelona and Real Madrid have won the lion’s share of titles in recent seasons, although Valencia won the league in 2002 and 2004, while Seville demonstrated in 2006/7 that the top two aren’t invincible by challenging them all the way.

Many punters like to include Barcelona and / or Real Madrid in their weekend football accumulator, although this often backfires with Real losing on eight occasions last season – not exactly banker material. There’s no denying the top two take some stopping but, as with all teams, they tend to be vulnerable just after playing in Europe, while many ‘stars’ can often fail in the motivation stakes against lesser opposition.

There’s very little difference in quality between the 5th-placed team in La Liga and the 14th-placed team so it’s wise not to bet too much at odds-on as this will not be a winning strategy overall. It’s also worth noting that home advantage generally doesn’t seem to count as much in Spain as it does in England, especially lower down the table.

Three Spanish teams made it to the semi-finals of the 2007 UEFA Cup, so it’s certainly worth keeping an eye out for teams still involved in European competition. Espanyol lost 5-1 at home to Getafe, just four days after losing to Seville in the UEFA Cup Final.