La Liga 2022-23 odds, picks: Predicting who will win Spain's top domestic soccer league

The La Liga season is upon us as the action gets started on Friday, August 12. Osasuna and Sevilla get the campaign underway while the rest of the league will play their first matches on Saturday and Sunday.

Real Madrid will begin their title defense after taking home their 35th overall La Liga championship last season, while Barcelona will look to steal the trophy back this year after bringing in superstar Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich.

Ahead of the Matchday 1 action, here's a look at La Liga odds for the 2022-23 season courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

The favorites

These two rival clubs both come in at +120 on the board ahead of the new season. Real Madrid has had a tough time in the summer transfer window, losing Gareth Bale to MLS side Los Angeles FC, while Isco and Marcelo both left during the summer window as well. They were able to bring in Antonio Rudiger from Chelsea and Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco, but they're still somewhat reeling from the Kylian Mbappe snub after the 23-year-old star striker decided to stay with PSG.

Barcelona's transfer window ended up quite the opposite, with Robert Lewandowski leaving his post at Bayern Munich to don the blue and garnet. They also snatched up Raphinha from Leeds and Jules Kounde from Sevilla after winning a bidding war with Chelsea for both players. To add insult to injury for the Blues, longtime Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen opted to leave Stamford Bridge to head to Barcelona on a free transfer at the end of his contract this summer.

After seeing that Barca had the much better performance during the transfer window, it's evident why they're right on pace with Real Madrid as the title favorites ahead of this season.

The other contenders

Atletico finished last season in third place just two points behind Barcelona, and one point ahead of fourth-place Sevilla. They locked up a Champions League spot for the 2022-23 season and will be seeking their 12th overall La Liga title as they look to overtake both Barca and Real Madrid. Atletico brought in some solid pieces in the offseason including defensive midfielder Axel Witsel from Borussia Dortmund as well as fullback Nahuel Molina from Udinese Calcio. Their last championship came in the 2020-21 season, sandwiched in between two Real Madrid title years.

Coming in much further down the board is Sevilla, who haven't been able to secure a La Liga championship since the 1945-46 season. It's their lone title in their La Liga history and while they're a long shot again this season, they'll look to top the table by the end of the season. Sevilla came in fourth place last season, marking their third consecutive fourth-place finish dating back to the 2019-20 season. They were just one point behind third-place Atletico Madrid last season and now that they've lost Jules Kounde to Barcelona and Diego Carlos to Aston Villa, they'll see an influx of cash to turn around and bring in some key pieces. They signed Manchester United fullback Alex Telles to a season-long loan, while bringing in center back Marcao from Galatasaray on a roughly $13 million transfer but they're likely not done making moves even as the season gets underway.

Best bet to win league: Barcelona (+120)

It's hard not to pick Barcelona to win their first championship since the 2018-19 season. The Lewandowski addition alone would sway me to their side especially after Real Madrid lost out on the Mbappe signing, but Barca bringing in other huge pieces like Raphinha and Kounde really seals the deal. They're right on par with Real Madrid as far as odds go, but expect that to change especially as results start going their way early on in the season.

  
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