Real Sociedad vs Villarreal
La Liga leaders Real Sociedad face another tough challenge as the fixtures come in thick and fast.
Imanol Alguacil’s men will take on Villarreal this weekend at the Anoeta Stadium in what should be a game that will pose huge ramifications.
As of this writing, Real Sociedad still sit on top of the La Liga mountain. They have 23 points after 10 matches primarily because of their inspired play on both sides of the pitch.
Lurking behind them are Villarreal who have 19 points off the bounce and are placed third. And they too have yet to be beaten in quite some time.
Both of these teams will take note of what will happen in the other matchup between Atletico Madrid and Valencia on Saturday evening.
Diego Simeone’s team is fresh from a win over Barcelona, and with 20 points at the table and two games to spare, they have a golden opportunity to make a run at the top.
Real Sociedad and Villarreal recently came from their respective Europa League games against their less-heralded opponents, and they will come in here with some sort of fatigue.
So who will win in this battle of attrition? Today, we examine two of the hottest teams in Spanish top-flight in this match preview.
Talking Points
Real Sociedad showing chinks in their armour
La Real are still undefeated in their last five games in all competitions, but it is clear that the wear and tear is slowly catching up to them.
They struggled in putting away Cadiz in their last La Liga game. But thanks to Alexander Isak’s 66th-minute goal, they came away unscathed.
However, few days later, Imanol Alguacil’s men laboured in their next match against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League group stage as they were held to a goalless draw.
David Silva, who has been influential upon the day he arrived, is nursing a hamstring strain and he will face a spell on the sidelines.
The severity of his injury is still undisclosed. However, given his advancing age, it is widely expected that he will be out at least for a few more matches.
This simply means that his other teammates should take on a bigger role. And by the looks of it, the trio of Portu, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Alexander Isak are going to be tasked to do so.
Mikel Oyarzabal leads the team in scoring with six goals and three assists, while Portu has five goals and two assists.
Alexander Isak, who currently has two goals and one assist, should add on to his account in order to keep their opponents on their toes.
Villarreal stake their unbeaten streak
The Yellow Submarine has been cruising along under Unai Emery’s tutelage as they have yet to lose a game for the past two months.
They recently came from a 1-1 draw against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League group stage days after holding La Liga defending champions Real Madrid to the same scoreline.
Unlike La Real, Villarreal are coming into this match with a healthier and complete squad.
Paco Alcacer is their top scorer with nine goals and two assists and he will be backstopped by Gerard Moreno and Carlos Bacca, who have combined for eight assists and three goals.
As long as their backline will hold up, Unai Emery’s men can give the league leaders a run for their money.
History
Unai Emery will probably look at his club’s recent history against Real Sociedad to give his boys some confidence ahead of Saturday.
In their 40 encounters together, Villarreal have won in 18, while Real Sociedad won in 10 along with 12 draws.
Real Sociedad have only won twice in their last six matches versus Villarreal.
It wasn’t too long ago that the Yellow Submarine submerged La Real with a 2-0 tally, albeit in a friendly match.
Francis Coquelin and Paco Alcacer provided the goals in the first half, and they will be called upon once again to try and do the same.
Betting Tip
 |
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Real Sociedad vs Villarreal | Under 2.50 @ 2.12 |
| November 30, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
The La Liga 2020 odds see this as a highly-contested affair between these two proud clubs.
In the 1X2 market, Real Sociedad are priced to win at 2.17, while Villarreal are pegged at 3.25, while chances for a draw are at 3.30.
But since both of them are evenly matched, perhaps there is more value on betting how the goal count will go this Saturday.
Under 2.50 @ 2.12 is the likeliest possibility here while Total Goal 2-3 @ 1.91 is also a plausible alternative given the trend of their recent matchups together.
This fixture between Real Sociedad and Villarreal is definitely a must-watch since this can make or break both of their title aspirations.
La Liga matches like this one are definitely worth looking forward to, so continue to tune in here at SBOTOP for more La Liga 2020 updates.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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