The season might only be two games old but tongues are already wagging about whether Barcelona have what it takes to win a third successive Primera Liga title following last weekend's seismic shock defeat at home to newly-promoted Hercules.

Sporting Gijon v Atheltic Bilbao
(Saturday 2000 CET)
Athletic's top six aspirations suffered an early blow with defeat at home to Atletico Madrid last weekend and now a trip across the north coast to Asturia promises to reveal a little bit more about whether to expect improvement on last season's eighth-place finish. 

The Basque outfit always boast a solid home record but they need to improve on the road if they wish to take their steady progress under Joaquin Caparros to the next level and perhaps even push for a Champions League spot.

Victory at Hercules on the opening day was to be expected - although that result does take on a new dimension in light of what the newcomers from Alicante did last week - but now this fixture represents an example of exactly the kind of challenge that Athletic have historically come up short.

Sporting were pretty solid without ever being spectacular at El Molinon last term and a comfortable 2-0 win over Real Mallorca last time out hints at more of the same, so the general 2.40 (Bet365) quote on the hosts might appeal to some.

However, we feel the prices are about right. Athletic are the stronger, more progressive outfit and it's about time they started to exert more authority on the road in order to gain further ground. For them, a draw would be an acceptable result.

Real Sociedad v Real Madrid
(Saturday 2200 CET)
Real Sociedad have made a positive return to la Primera with four points from their opening two matches but we haven't seen enough in those two performances against Villarreal and Almeria to suggest they will pull off a shock of near-Hercules proportions against Jose Mourinho's men.

The San Sebastian outfit will no doubt draw some inspiration from the achievement of their fellow newcomers a week ago but likewise the memory of events at the Camp Nou will only help Mourinho to heighten the focus of his players ahead of this potential banana skin.

Madrid are no bigger than 1.37 (Betsson) Asian handicap either bearing in mind how content Mourinho is to win by fine margins.

All of which means we will place our eggs in the same basket that proved most profitable last weekend by backing Real Madrid to keep clean sheet.

The Merengues have notched three shut-outs in three competitive matches under the Portuguese and we're quite happy to snap up even-money quotes on them extending that sequence on the Basque coast.

Atletico Madrid v Barcelona
(Sunday 1900 CET)
The season might only be two games old but tongues are already wagging about whether Barcelona have what it takes to win a third successive Primera Liga title following last weekend's seismic shock defeat at home to newly-promoted Hercules. 

For all the good that Pep Guardiola has done in his first two years at the Camp Nou helm, his methods are now coming under serious scrutiny with the perception growing that Barca have an over-reliance on a couple of key players in the shape of Xavi and Carles Puyol.

Guardiola himself admits he has made some mistakes in the summer, which presumably encompasses how he has dealt with pre-season preparations in the wake of Spain's historic World Cup win and the recent international break.

Admittedly, the Catalans looked back to their very best when taking apart Panathanaikos 5-1 in their Champions League opener but we're not prepared to let them off the hook that easily and will gladly take a slice of the tasty 5.00 quote that Bet365 are offering on a strong Atletico Madrid side.

The Colchoneros have a history of putting Barca through the mill at the Vicente Calderon and the signs of an upset appear to exist now more than ever.

Atletí are much better organised under Quique Sanchez Flores and they appear to be tougher mentally compared with previous incarnations judging by how they've responded to pre-season expectations.

We said last week that the trip to San Mames would tell us a great more about their top-four credentials and a routine 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao received a big thumbs up.

Malaga v Sevilla
(Sunday 2100 CET)
Malaga did the business for Bettingzone followers at Zaragoza last weekend and now we'll follow up with a confident punt on the Boquerones to claim the considerable scalp of local rivals Sevilla in Sunday evening's Andalusian derby at La Rosaleda.

Jesualdo Ferreira's men were reportedly offered an impromptu 6,000 euro bonus each to take the spoils in Aragon last weekend, which perhaps goes some way towards explaining the early devastation they inflictedon their hosts with five goals in the opening 35 minutes.

In the end, they were pegged back to 5-3 as Zaragoza tried desperately to save face and while it's not clear whether owner Abdullah Al-Thani plans to offer another spontaneous financial incentive ahead of this clash, the price is generous enough for us to place our faith in the newly-assembled underdogs.

Clearly, there's a lot to like about Malaga following the arrival of the Qatari billionaire but equally there's as much incentive to oppose Sevilla. 

A goalless draw against Deportivo at the Sanchez Pizjuan last Sunday offered little to refute suggestions that Antonio Alvarez will struggle to get the dressing room dancing to his tune in the wake of their dismal Champions League exit and the value is definitely with the hosts in this one.

PICKS:
Real Madrid to keep a clean sheet against Real Sociedad at 1.90 (Bet365).
Atletico Madrid to beat Barcelona at 5.00 (Bet365).
Malaga to beat Sevilla at 3.25 (Betsson).