At some point earlier this season, this scribe enjoyed a success rate of over 50% in his predictions, due in no small proportion to the high likelihood of at least three or four no-brainer results each weekend. Good ol' times.

During the last couple of months, upsets and shocking results have become the norm in La Liga, as those teams with deep pockets and therefore stronger squads haven't been able to demonstrate their theoretical superiority over their cash-strapped cousins. As a result, 11 points now separate humble Levante and noveau riche Villarreal, with a stunning 13 teams standing between those two. A bizarre situation indeed.

But now that the season quickly enters into its second half, and given that the hugely disappointing transfer window brought little to none surprises, it is time for the larger chequebooks to prevail. As long as they don't screw up their chemistry - a more than difficult 'as long as' in some cases - Athletic, Valencia, Malaga, Atletico and even Villarreal should win their matches more often than not from now on. Sevilla? We'll talk about them in a minute.

Shall we? Remember, it's '1' for a home win, 'X' for a draw and '2' for an away win.

1. Mallorca (15th) - Betis (13th): X.

When the media interrogated Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, Mallorca's largest shareholder, about his feelings regarding this match, his probably too honest answer was: "You know how I feel. I would like Betis to win. However, we need the points." This obviously led to lengthy explanations about his true colours and to a huge controversy in the beautiful island.

Betis' coach Pepe Mel has no doubts about his preferred winner on Saturday, but the Madrid-born manager comes from a huge disappointment: 'That was the performance that pissed me off the most since I coach this team," he stated on Tuesday, referring to Betis' dismal display against Granada last weekend - generating certain uproar among his players.

The fact is that, after all that media talk, hard-working Mallorca and the more stylish Betis would feel happy with a point apiece. So would this column.

2. Athletic de Bilbao (6th) - Espanyol (5th): 1.
Believe it or not, this is the must-see match of the weekend. Not only Marcelo Bielsa's approach finally started to bear fruit by getting the most out of Fernando Llorente (eight goals in his last six matches, 99 in his Athletic career so far), but Mauricio Pochettino's Espanyol keep adding wins to their total, and against all precedents have gotten decent reinforcements in the transfer window.

Globetrotter Kalu Uche, youngster Philippe Coutinho and former Barcelona defender Victor Sanchez should help the Periquitos, although in this case San Mames should make the difference between two candidates for the top-five when all is said and done.

3. Levante (4th) - Racing de Santander (17th): 2.
Ten points and 13 places separate these two teams, although they will finish the season much closer than you'd think. For starters, in their last five matches, the hosts have won two points while the visitors added eight to their tally. Secondly, during the transfer window Levante hired Racing reject Oscar Serrano and he came off the bench last Sunday. You can't play for a relegation candidate and suddenly get a chance with a team in Champions League spots, surely?

If we factor in Racing's new signing, former Fiorentina's striker Khouma Babacar, another proud member of the 'Best Names in Football', this match can only end up in a '2'.

4. Getafe (9th) - Real Madrid (1st): X.
Real Madrid's Angel Di Maria, Samuel Khedira and Marcelo won't make the really short trip to Getafe on Saturday. Too many absentees? According to Getafe's boss Luis Garcia, not really: "If Marcelo can't play, they (Real Madrid) will start some bloke who cost €30 million."

His blunt assessment might ring true to some, but this column is quite impressed by Getafe's recent run of results (four wins and two draws in their last six), their home record (four wins, four draws and one defeat), the newfound connection between their strikers Miku and Dani Güiza, and the fact that the latter loves to play himself into shape and usually finishes strongly every season.

Mesut Ozil's has come back to life for Real Madrid but that won't be enough on a small pitch and in front of a motivated crowd which has already experience the defeat of Barcelona. Upset special of the week.

5. Barcelona (2nd) - Real Sociedad (12th): 1.

Even if Phil Ball eventually attends this match and empties his lungs supporting Real Sociedad, things look ugly for the visitors. They've already stolen Getafe's title as Most Unpredictable Team in La Liga, able to score five one week and concede six the following, but a win at the so far undefeated Camp Nou seems out of the question.

Barcelona's away form, shaky as it is, can't hide their terrific home campaign. The Azulgranas will win three points here, but there's one thing to keep in mind: distractions are footballers' worst enemy. Lionel Messi's surprising omnipresence (cover of Time and Esquire in just one week) in the media can't be a good omen.

6. Sporting de Gijón (19th) - Osasuna (10th): 2.
Dear readers, I demand you all to observe one minute's silence for Manuel Preciado, who lost his job as Sporting's boss after almost five-and-a-half years at the helm. Tough loss for La Liga. But just like in many other instances, Preciado's exit won't fix what's wrong at Sporting. Among rumours of team members going out to hit the bars after they lost 5-1 to Real Sociedad, an extremely tense week in Gijon saw several supporters insulting players at the training ground while the president and some veterans tried to move the focus on to Osasuna.

The visitors only have to let time pass by and pressure increase on the young home side, which should create the chance for an away win. They're perfectly capable of pulling that off.

7. Sevilla (11th) - Villarreal (18th): 2.
But if you're looking for real unrest, your choice has to be Sevilla. Manager Marcelino, who regularly benches three of the four skippers of the team, now decided to pick a public fight with Freddy Kanoute, an institution in both the club and the city.

Whatever the reasons (lack of effort during training sessions, a yellow card picked at the wrong moment), going public was hardly a sensible choice, especially in what is probably Kanoute's last season as a professional, and bearing in mind that Sevilla now sit in 11th and don't really need the noise.

Villarreal, energised by their draw against Barcelona, have also recovered goalie Diego Lopez in the process. "I needed to meet Diego Lopez again," he himself declared after a great display, the first in a long time. Due to the joy of being able to witness such a great use of the third person, and happy that both Diegos Lopezes have met again, this sounds like a '2'.

8. Zaragoza (20th) - Rayo Vallecano (14th): X.
A couple of years ago, in a quite similar situation, Zaragoza conducted a full revamp of their team during the transfer window. The move worked out, and with the help of some of those signings - Chilean Humberto Suazo comes to mind as a key element - Zaragoza avoided relegation. It won't be the case this season. None of their new six free signings have the ability to lead a team in this situation, and they still lack a goalscorer that can make the difference in the extremely stressful matches the Maños will play from now until May.

Rayo, better visitors than hosts, should take advantage of that. One point seems enough for the Vallecanos.

9. Atletico de Madrid (7th) - Valencia (3rd): 2.
The stars' alignment favours Diego Simeone. When he took over Atletico, I had earmarked this match as the beginning of the end for his successful initial spell. However, the calendar still supports El Cholo. Valencia arrive in Madrid with slim hopes, but hopes in any case, to make it to the Copa del Rey final and enough advantage over the fourth team in the standings to be able to rest players on Sunday for their second-leg semi-final match in Barcelona next week.

Atletico will play against a B-Valencia side, and Simeone's hype will grow even more. Get ready for another week of over-optimistic comparisons with the 1996 double-winning team.

10. Granada (16th) - Málaga (8th): 2.
Time for money to prevail. While Granada keep speculating with signings, loans and complex agreements, Malaga decided to really test what they had bought in the summer and stop spending money. Remember, they forked out a huge amount of cash and the results should show up at some point. Manuel Pellegrini's teams finish strong, so let's get ready for Malaga to finally prove their worth.

PS. You can follow me on twitter - @EdAlvarezSpain.

Use this easy 'Copy and Paste' summary to write your own Quiniela and share it with us in the 'Comments' section. If you get 10 correct results, your name will be mentioned in the following Quiniela column!

1. Mallorca (15th) - Betis (13th): X.
2. Athletic de Bilbao (6th) - Espanyol (5th): 1.
3. Levante (4th) - Racing de Santander (17th): 2.
4. Getafe (9th) - Real Madrid (1st): X.
5. Barcelona (2nd) - Real Sociedad (12th): 1.
6. Sporting de Gijón (19th) - Osasuna (10th): 2.
7. Sevilla (11th) - Villarreal (18th): 2.
8. Zaragoza (20th) - Rayo Vallecano (14th): X.
9. Atletico de Madrid (7th) - Valencia (3rd): 2.
10. Granada (16th) - Málaga (8th): 2.

Last week: 3/10 (30%) Season: 89/180 (49%)