At the beginning in 1929, La Liga was the top professional soccer league in Spain. La Liga is known for its two power brands, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Indeed, Real Madrid and Barcelona dominated La Liga. Also, they have been two of the most successful clubs in the history of the powerhouse UEFA Champions League. Correlate that Real Madrid and Barcelona, along with upstart Girona, are favored to win the 2024 La Liga championship.
At the onset of the 2023-24 season, Real Madrid won 15 games with three draws and one loss with a goal differential of +29. Girona was tied with Real Madrid with an identical soccer betting odds record and a goal differential of +22. In third place was Barcelona, with 12 wins, five draws, two losses, and a goal differential of +14.
2024 La Liga Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Real Madrid | -400 |
| Girona | +500 |
| Barcelona | +700 |
| Atletico Madrid | +3300 |
| All Other Clubs | +25000 or higher |
Club Relegation and Promotion
Elche, Espanyol, and Valladolid were relegated from La Liga to the second-tier Segunda Division. By contrast, Grenada, Las Palmas, and Alaves were promoted from the Segunda Division to La Liga.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid boasts 35 La Liga championships, with its latest title in 2021-22. Of course, the Whites are equally famous for their success in the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid has won 14 online betting championships. Including their latest title in 2021-22. Real Madrid won four UEFA Champions League titles from 2014 through 2018. Including three in a row from 2015-16 through 2017-18.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti won a La Liga title for Real Madrid in 2021-22. Also, Ancelotti won major league championships at AC Milan in Serie A, Chelsea in the English Premier League, and Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. Jude Bellingham led Real Madrid with 13 goals in its first 17 matches.
Barcelona
Naturally, Barcelona rivals Real Madrid as the power franchise of La Liga. Barcelona has 27 La Liga titles, including last season. Since 2004-05, Barcelona has won 11 titles. Barcelona has five UEFA Champions League titles, with its most recent championship in 2015.
Xavi has been manager of Barcelona since 2021 and led them to the 2022-23 La Liga La Liga betting odds title. As a player, he was named World Soccer Player of the Year in 2010. Also, Xavi was a star midfielder for Barcelona from 1998-99 to 2014-15. However, Xavi is leaving the club at season’s end.
Of course, Barcelona has one of the all-time great forwards, Robert Lewandowski. Lewandowski began the 2023-24 campaign with a team-best eight goals in La Liga play. Lewandowski arrived from Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga in 2022 and has 31 goals in 51 apps for Barcelona. While at Bayern Munich, Lewandowski scored 238 goals in 253 apps. The highly decorated Lewandowski is a two-time FIFA Best Men’s Player (2020 and 2021).
Girona
Girona is not nearly the brand of Barcelona, but they are one of the emerging powers in La Liga. Since casuals and squares know little about them, Girona offers consistently superior wagering value compared to the mega brands. Girona has never won a La Liga title.
Since July 9, 2021, Miguel Angel Sanchez Munoz has been the manager of Girona. He won two Segunda Division titles at Rayo Vallecano (2017-18) and Huesca (2019-20).
A key asset for the new success of Girona is forward Artem Dovbyk. The Ukrainian national team star has 11 goals for Girona. It is his first season with the club. Overall, Dovbyk has seven goals in 23 apps for the Ukraine national team.