Villarreal vs Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad head to the Estadio de la Ceramica on Saturday with a chance to leapfrog their hosts, Villarreal, into fifth place.
It’s the La Liga match of the weekend between two teams vying to break into the top four. But with the Madrid clubs and Barca, followed by Sevilla, occupying the Champions League places it is a tough ask.
Villarreal and Real Sociedad start in fifth and sixth place in the table and the La Liga 2021 betting markets reckon that’s how they will finish up, though the Yellow Submarine has the best chance of making the top four, and could overtake Sevilla with a victory over Sociedad.
Talking Points
Gerard sidelined for Villarreal
The Yellow Submarine has been in the better form of the two teams, winning four and drawing two of the last six games, in all competitions, while La Real has won just once over that period, but the hosts will be without a key weapon when they meet on Saturday. Head coach Unai Emery will be missing top scorer Gerard Moreno who has a muscle strain, and that is some loss.
Gerard is Villarreal’s main goal threat and he has scored ten league goals this season, elevating him to the status of one of Europe’s most sought after strikers. In Villarreal’s recent clash at home to Granada midfielder Moi Gomez and defender Ruben Pena took up the scoring responsibility as the game finished 2-2, but then the Yelllow Submarine drew a blank in a 0-0 draw away to Huesca. With only eight shots and two on target in the 90 minutes Villarreal lacked a cutting edge and Emery will hope to rectify that against Sociedad on Saturday night.
The responsibility falls to two experienced hitmen, Colombian striker Carlos Bacca and former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund forward Paco Alcacer, who has contributed five goals so far in this campaign.
The Yellow Submarine has a superb home record, winning five and drawing five, and Emery will expect more of the same against La Real, even without his main man.
Oyarzabal key for Real Sociedad
After a blistering start to the 2020/21 campaign Sociedad have slumped to sixth place in La Liga following a disappointing run of La Liga 2021 results. And it’s been easy to point to the injury of David Silva as the main reason why Imanol Iguacil’s team has failed to keep pace with the leaders. The former Manchester City playmaker inspired La Real to their best start in years until he picked up an injury, and recent results have suffered as a result.
Without Silva in the team, striker Mikel Oyarzabal has, once again, stepped forward to take the lead, scoring eight goals so far in the campaign. Still only 23 years old, Oyarzabal has scored 50 goals in his Sociedad career and has also netted four times for Spain in 11 internationals. He won the La Liga Player of the Month in October and is La Real’s most consistent performer.
Defeat to Sevilla in a five goal thriller in their last away league game left Sociedad struggling to keep their European qualification target in sight, and they were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Real Betis on Tuesday night, but Oyarzabal was on target again in the 3-1 defeat. Villarreal’s centre back pairing of Raul Albiol and Pau Torres will need no reminding of who Real’s biggest goal threat is.
History
These are two clubs with a fine history in Spanish football, Villarreal as serial European qualifiers in recent years, while Sociedad are twice winners of La Liga during their glory years of the early 1980s.
Villarreal have consistently had the better of the head to heads, winning 18 to ten of the meetings since 1998, and there have been 15 draws.
The two teams played out a 1-1 draw in November as Gerard put the Yellow Submarine ahead with an early penalty, but Oyarzabal replied when La Real won their own spot kick before the break.
Betting Tip
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Villarreal vs Real Sociedad | Villarreal Asian Handicap -0.25 @ 2.05 |
| January 31, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
There’s a great weekend of football coming up for SBOTOP football fans, Red Bull Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen clash in the Bundesliga and Arsenal host Manchester United in the Premier League.
And this game is the pick of the bunch in Spain.
Villarreal is at 2.38 to win with La Real at 2.86 and the draw at 3.02, and were Gerard fit I’d confidently back a victory for the Yellow Submarine. I think their home record and recent form will be enough to see them over the line, but it will be close.
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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