Valencia and Real Sociedad meet on the opening weekend in La Liga, with both sides reeling to some extent after major departures this summer.
Most of those were anticipated, but that won’t make it any easier for Valencia to fill the voids left by the likes of Giorgi Mamardashvili, Cristhian Mosquera and Enzo Barrenechea who are no longer at the club.
They have done some decent business of their own on a limited budget though, and Carlos Corberan’s side warmed up for the new season with an impressive 3-0 win over Torino last weekend. The former West Brom boss is set to go with a 4-4-2 system, after successfully guiding Los Che to survival in the second half of last term.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad are under new management after replacing long-serving Imanol with Sergio Francisco in the summer. Francisco steps up from the B-team role, and he has a tough job on his hands here, with La Real no longer able to depend on the services of Martin Zubimendi following his €70m switch to Arsenal.
Very little of that money has so far been reinvested in the team, and the Basques head into the new season following three straight draws that have seen them offer little genuine goal threat.
How the bookies view it: Los Che the slight favourites
There’s not much to separate these two teams who finished level on points last term. That’s reflected in the markets, with Valencia the slight favourites at 8/5 to win this game with Boylesports. You can back the draw at 7/4, while Real Sociedad are priced at 19/10.
Recent head-to-head: Narrow wins the norm
Four of the last five meetings between these clubs have served up 1-0 scorelines, including this fixture last season which Valencia won. Real Sociedad had won all of the previous three meetings though, while the last four meetings at Mestalla have served up just three goals in total.
Players to watch: Raba to shine on debut?
Dani Raba is expected to make his competitive debut for Valencia up front. He was impressive in a struggling Leganes side last term, scoring five goals in his final 10 games for the South Madrid club, despite limited service. The 29-year-old looks good at 5/2 to score anytime in this game with Boylesports.
Predicted Lineups
The hosts are expected to be missing two players on the opening weekend, with Alberto Mari and Thierry Correia dealing with injuries.
Youngster Jon Gorrotxategi, a leading candidate to replace Zubimendi at the base of the Real Sociedad midfield, is the only major fitness doubt for the visitors.
Valencia: Agirrezabala, Gaya, Copete, Tarrega, Foulquier, D. Lopez, Guerra, Pepelu, Rioja, Raba, Duro.
Real Sociedad: Remiro, S. Gomez, Martin, Zubeldia, Aramburu, Gonzalez de Zarate, Sucic, Mendez, Oyarzabal, Oskarsson, Kubo.
Anything else catch the eye?
La Real were a big disappointment last season, scoring only 0.92 goals per game on average in La Liga. They’ve not signed anyone yet who’s likely to go straight into their starting lineup and truly make a difference, so the fear is that the decline may continue this term.
With Los Che really strong at home under Corberan so far, backing Draw no bet – Valencia to win at 3/4 could be worth a punt. The head-to-head record suggests this one is highly unlikely to serve up many goals, and for bigger returns, you can back Valencia and under 3.5 total goals at 2/1.
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