{"id":47071,"date":"2026-01-05T13:11:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T19:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gambyl.com\/?p=47071"},"modified":"2026-01-05T13:11:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T19:11:19","slug":"laliga-2026-matchday-18-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gambyl.com\/en\/laliga\/laliga-2026-matchday-18-roundup\/","title":{"rendered":"LaLiga Matchday 18 Roundup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LaLiga\u2019s first matchday of 2026 saw Barcelona and Real Madrid, the two teams at the top of the table, pick up wins, while changes unfolded elsewhere.

Barcelona were made to work for it but ultimately claimed victory in the derby against Espanyol, winning 0-2 with two late goals. Real Madrid, meanwhile, had no trouble thrashing Real Betis 5\u20131, powered by a hat trick from Gonzalo Garc\u00eda.

Atl\u00e9tico Madrid dropped out of third place after drawing 1\u20131 with Real Sociedad, a result compounded by Villarreal\u2019s 1-3 win away at Elche.

In the relegation battle, Girona won a crucial matchup against Mallorca 2-1 to climb out of the drop zone, pushing Valencia into it after they suffered a heavy 4\u2013 1 defeat to Celta.

At\u00a0Gambyl Exchange<\/a>, you can explore all the predictions for the\u00a0LaLiga<\/a> EA Sports, the final bets for this matchday, and the odds for each match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LaLiga Matchday 18: Games <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Getafe<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Celta 4-1 Valencia<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Osasuna 1-1 Athletic Club <\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Elche 1-3 Villarreal <\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Espanyol 0-2 Barcelona <\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Sevilla 0-3 Levante<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Real Madrid 5-1 Real Betis<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Alav\u00e9s 1-1 Real Oviedo <\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Mallorca 1-2 Girona <\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Real Sociedad 1-1 Atl\u00e9tico Madrid <\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

LaLiga Matchday 18: Celta vs. Valencia <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Celta -103<\/strong><\/em><\/td>Valencia +300<\/em><\/td>Draw Offs: +241<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Celta moved closer to the European qualification spots while pushing Valencia into the relegation zone after defeating them 4\u20131.

The match could have started in Valencia\u2019s favor, but Pepelu\u2019s penalty in the seventh minute struck the post. Borja Iglesias made no mistake later on, giving his side the lead in a similar fashion in the 33rd minute.

\u2018Panda\u2019 Iglesias struck again in the 59th minute, this time simply tapping the ball in after a pass from Pablo Dur\u00e1n.

Valencia briefly got back into the match in the 70th minute when Pepelu took advantage of a poor clearance and fired a shot from outside the box to make it 2\u20131.

There were a few tense moments, but in the 83rd minute, Jones El-Abdellaoui won the ball in midfield, drove forward, and finished one-on-one with the goalkeeper to make it 3\u20131.

The final score was sealed by Hugo \u00c1lvarez in stoppage time (90+4\u2019), with a low shot inside the box that tucked in off the post.

With the win, Celta move up to seventh place, just two points behind sixth-place Real Betis in the Conference League spots. Valencia, meanwhile, dropped to 18th with 16 points, falling into the relegation zone.<\/strong>

Result: Celta 4-1 Valencia <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LaLiga Matchday 18: Espanyol vs. Barcelona <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Espanyol +440<\/em><\/td>Barcelona -192<\/strong><\/em><\/td>Draw Offs: +380 <\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With a towering performance from Joan Garc\u00eda and a brilliant display by Ferm\u00edn L\u00f3pez, Barcelona defeated Espanyol 0-2 in the Catalan derby to maintain their four-point lead at the top of the table.<\/strong>

The Bar\u00e7a goalkeeper, formerly of Espanyol, was the standout of the night, making six crucial saves. It was a difficult match for the visitors, who only managed to break through in the closing minutes.

The opener came in the 86th minute, when Ferm\u00edn turned sharply, beat his marker with quality, and laid the ball off to Dani Olmo, who struck it first time with great class, leaving the opposing goalkeeper rooted in place with a beautiful finish.

The second goal arrived in the 90th minute, as Ferm\u00edn broke down the right flank and cut the ball back for Robert Lewandowski, who finished superbly with a delicate chip over Marko Dmitrovi\u0107.

With the win, Barcelona now sit on 49 points, four ahead of Real Madrid, while Espanyol remain fifth with 33 points. <\/strong>

Result: Espanyol 0-2 Barcelona<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LaLiga Matchday 18: Real Madrid vs. Real Betis <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Real Madrid -278<\/strong><\/em><\/td>Betis +642<\/em><\/td> <\/strong> <\/em>Draw Offs: +445 <\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On a night to remember for Gonzalo Garc\u00eda, Real Madrid cruised to a 5\u20131 victory over Real Betis, keeping themselves firmly in the title race in LaLiga<\/strong>.

The 21-year-old striker recorded his first hat trick in the top flight, and it was the first time he had ever scored more than once in a single match. His opening goal came in the 20th minute, heading home from a Rodrygo free kick.

Early in the second half, in the 50th minute, Federico Valverde played a precise pass to Garc\u00eda, who controlled it with his chest and fired a first-time, curling shot from outside the box to score a spectacular goal.

Another young talent, Ra\u00fal Asencio, made it 3\u20130 in the 56th minute with a header from a corner taken by Rodrygo.

Betis pulled one back in the 66th minute when Cucho Hern\u00e1ndez received a pass from Aitor Ruibal, rounded Thibaut Courtois twice, and finished calmly to make it 3\u20131.

Gonzalo completed his hat trick in the 82nd minute with yet another brilliant finish, this time with a backheel after a cross from Arda G\u00fcler. The final 5\u20131 came in stoppage time, once again from a Valverde cross, this time finding Fran Garc\u00eda, who arrived unmarked and scored his first league goal since May 11, 2024.

Real Madrid sit second with 45 points, four behind Barcelona, while Betis remain sixth with 28 points. <\/strong>

Result: Real Madrid 5-1 Real Betis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LaLiga Matchday 18: Real Sociedad vs. Atl\u00e9tico Madrid <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Real Sociedad +263<\/em><\/td>Atl\u00e9tico Madrid +104<\/em><\/td>Draw Offs<\/strong>: +248 <\/strong><\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Real Sociedad and Atl\u00e9tico Madrid were unable to separate themselves, settling for a 1\u20131 draw in a result that did little to help either side.

The Basque team was the better side, especially in the first half, creating several chances and believing they had taken the lead in the final play before halftime. However, Alexander S\u00f8rloth\u2019s own goal was ruled out for offside.

Ironically, it was the Norwegian, formerly a Real Sociedad striker, who opened the scoring in the 50th minute with a header.

The visitors\u2019 joy was short-lived, as just five minutes later Gon\u00e7alo Guedes received a pass from Takefusa Kubo and finished well to level the match at 1\u20131.

Both teams had opportunities to take the lead, but the game ended in a draw. Atl\u00e9tico Madrid dropped to fourth place with 38 points, while Real Sociedad sits 15th with 18 points. <\/strong>

Result: Real Sociedad 1-1 Atl\u00e9tico Madrid<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LaLiga\u2019s first matchday of 2026 saw Barcelona and Real Madrid, the two teams at the top of the table, pick up wins, while changes unfolded elsewhere. Barcelona were made to work for it but ultimately claimed victory in the derby against Espanyol, winning 0-2 with two late goals. Real Madrid, meanwhile, had no trouble thrashing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[788],"tags":[171],"class_list":["post-47071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-laliga","tag-soccer"],"aioseo_notices":[],"modified_by":"Erwin Noguera","aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t