Villarreal set to frustrate Real Sociedad at El Madrigal
Villarreal CF vs Real Sociedad - 02/04/2023
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Champions League-chasing Real Sociedad travel to Villarreal on Sunday as the battle for European football in La Liga heats up.
With 26 games in the books, Real Sociedad find themselves fourth in the table – three points clear of fifth-placed Real Betis.
Meanwhile, Villarreal occupy sixth place – five points clear of seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao and seven points behind Real Sociedad.
When Villarreal suffered four straight league defeats across January and February, it looked as though the Yellow Submarine would sink.
However, Villarreal have transformed their fortunes since then, notching a four-game unbeaten streak to take 10 points from a possible 12.
After securing back-to-back victories over Getafe and Almeria, Villarreal drew with Real Betis before beating Osasuna 3-0 last time out.
Following a shaky spell, Villarreal are back and will be hopeful of enhancing a run of just four losses in their previous 24 home league games.
That said, Real Sociedad have only lost two of their last 12 La Liga matches, picking up seven wins and five draws in the process.
After recording back-to-back draws with Cadiz and Mallorca, Real Sociedad claimed a 2-0 victory over Elche before the international break.
In terms of the bigger picture, Sociedad have lost just six of their 26 league games this season, picking up 14 wins and six draws along the way.
Given that only one of Sociedad’s previous nine La Liga matches has produced over 2.5 goals, Sunday’s showdown is destined to be a low-scoring affair.
Head-to-head: Villarreal have only managed to win one of their last six league meetings with Real Sociedad, with two 1-1 draws coming in that time.
Across all competitions, 11 of the previous 13 encounters between Villarreal and Real Sociedad have dished up under 3.5 goals.
Team news: Villarreal will be without former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin for the remainder of the season due to an ACL injury.
Real Sociedad’s Sadiq Umar will miss the rest of the season with a similar injury, while Martin Merquelanz and Aritz Elustondo are also expected to miss Sunday’s clash.
While Villarreal will be eager to close the gap this weekend, Real Sociedad will be hopeful of keeping the Yellow Submarine at bay.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Villarreal and Real Sociedad will play out a low-scoring draw, with both teams netting under 1.5 goals.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
Es1
304228
X
1 - 1
2.21
22°
3.10
2.38
3.10
3.25
no
no
no
2 - 0(0 - 0)
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