Catalan side Espanyol will take on the difficult Real Sociedad challenge on the 24th of August at the famous Cornella-El Prat, also known as Stage Front Stadium.
Espanyol come into this game as the team that’s at the bottom of the pit. However, with the home-field support behind them this Saturday, coach Manolo Gonzalez’s boys will be looking to put smiles on the fans’ faces.
In the meantime, Real Sociedad also wasted their opening La Liga game. They got beaten 1-2 at Anoeta by a counterattacking Rayo Vallecano. Despite failing to register an equalizer, you have to give it to Martin Zubimendi and his colleagues – they did everything in their power to do so.
How the bookies view it: Hard-earned win for the visitors
According to the experts, the favourites to win this La Liga showdown are Real Sociedad, with odds priced at 11/10. Meanwhile, despite the home-field advantage on their side, Espanyol’s odds are valued at 31/10. This, understandably, makes coach Gonzalez’s players the underdogs in this La Liga match.
Recent head-to-head: La Real with three points up for grabs, H2H history suggests
You might be interested to know that the last five matches between the two clubs resulted in four victories for Real Sociedad and only one Espanyol win. Espanyol’s success was recorded on the 28th of November, 2021.
Almost three years have passed since the Catalan club last managed to beat this opponent. This is why our Espanyol vs Real Sociedad predictions favour the Basques. Moreover, the last official game between the two teams was once again held at Cornella-El Prat and despite the 2-3 score in favor of Real Sociedad, the Basques felt quite comfortable performing away from home.
Players to watch: Martin Zubimendi under the spotlight
The Liverpool-connected Zubimendi was a force to be reckoned with in the match against Rayo Vallecano. Sure, Real Sociedad lost the game, but with a massive 66.0% possession behind them, it’s fair to say Real Sociedad have Zubimendi to thank, as he bossed the centre of the pitch. Moreover, he also scored the only goal for his team.
Real Sociedad’s #10 will also make an appearance in this game. Mikel Oyarzabal is the team captain and despite failing to score at Anoeta, he seemed energetic enough to trouble the goalkeeper on multiple occasions.
Predicted line-ups
Lined up in an ultra-defensive 5-3-2, Espanyol were asking to lose the game against Valladolid last week. With five defenders among the starters, the team only made two shots on target in 90 minutes of play. What else did the coach expect of Puado, when he was not getting enough support?
It’s interesting that we got to see so much of Zubimendi last week. He was rumoured to leave the club, but instead stayed and scored a goal for his team in the opening La Liga fixture.
Espanyol: Garcia – Romero, Cabrera, Gomez, Hilali, Tejero – Milla, Gragera, Tejero – Veliz &Puado
Real Sociedad: Remiro – Traore, Elustondo, Pacheco, Lopez – Mendez, Zarate, Turrientes – Kubo, Oyarzabal & Becker
Anything else catch the eye?
We expect to see under 2.5 goals in the Espanyol vs Real Sociedad match this week, as neither side performed particularly well when it comes to scoring goals in their opening 2024/25 La Liga matches.
This La Liga match between Espanyol and Real Sociedad will be played on Aug 24, 2024 and kick off at 20:30. Check below for our tipsters best Espanyol vs Real Sociedad prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
