Does the Basque defence hold again?
Espanyol Barcelona get a visit from second-placed Real Sociedad. The home side will still be licking their wounds, having lost last week’s derby in the Catalan capital to FCB 1-0. The visitors cannot be satisfied with the past matchday in parallel.
Due to their own nil draw against Valencia, the top of the table was handed to Real Madrid. In addition, the powerful defender Aritz Elustondo received a red card and must now pass. The only pleasing thing was that top striker Mikel Oyarzabal was back on the pitch for the first time after a long injury break, at least for a short spell.
For the match at the RCDE Stadium between Espanyol Barcelona and Real Sociedad, the forecast includes a maximum of two goals by the final whistle.
Espanyol Barcelona – Statistics & current form
Espanyol coach Vicente Moreno will be glad to have a home game on the schedule: the blue and whites have picked up 14 of their 17 points this season on home turf. They have also beaten Real Madrid, who are top of the table, and have won four of their seven home games. Only the Colchoneros were able to inflict a home defeat on the La Liga 2 champions.
A guarantee for the home strength is the solid defence. They have won four clean sheets at home and conceded just four goals. However, Oscar Gil, an important defender, has been missing for a month due to injury.
The 23-year-old made his debut for the Spanish national team this year and since his absence, however, the average number of goals conceded has not risen, but remains at a value of one goal per league match.
Raul de Tomas is the top scorer
In the attack of the two-time UEFA Cup finalists, Raul de Tomas is once again almost the sole entertainer. With seven goals, the 27-year-old has scored half of the Periquitos’ goals this season!
Last season’s top scorer in La Liga 2, whose 23 goals were instrumental in Espanyol’s promotion, continues to score in the Spanish top flight. With this in mind, the odds on his next goal celebration in the clash between Espanyol Barcelona and Real Sociedad are just as interesting.
Predicted line-up of Espanyol Barcelona:
Lopez D. – Gomez – Cabrera – Vidal – Pedrosa – Lopez D. – Puado – Darder – Herrera – Embarba – de Tomas
Last matches played by Espanyol Barcelona:
LaLiga
11/20 2021 – Barcelona 1 – 0 Espanyol
11/06 2021 – Espanyol 2 – 0 Granada
10/31 2021 – Getafe 2 – 1 Espanyol
10/26 2021 – Espanyol 1 – 1 Athletic Bilbao
10/23 2021 – Elche 2 – 2 Espanyol
Real Sociedad – Statistics & current form
The Basques counter Espanyol’s home strength with their very good performances away from home. Only Real Madrid score better away from home than coach Imanol Alguacil’s team, which has only lost one away match at the start of the season at FC Barcelona. Recently, the defence has been much more secure in the away games than before.
The two most recent away games at Celta Vigo and Osasuna were both won 2-0. The Spanish champions of 1981 and 1982 also have Mikel Oyarzabal back on board, as mentioned at the beginning.
With six goals in just nine appearances, the Spanish international is once again Real’s top scorer this season. The fifth season in a row with a double-digit haul is clearly in the offing.
Isak is a friend of the pairing
His strike partner Alexander Isak, however, is particularly looking forward to the upcoming opponent. The Swede Isak has faced Espanyol three times so far in a Sociedad shirt and each time he poured a goal into the opposition!
On the other hand, the visitors will be a bit tired going into the match. The reason is the extra game in the Europa League last Thursday night. The match took place in Monaco and a 1-2 defeat was recorded against AS in the top match of Group B.
1:1 after 90 minutes?
In view of this and the home strength of the opponents, the odds on a 1-1 draw between Espanyol Barcelona and Real Sociedad also offer value.
The visitors have scored at least once in every away game so far and this has also been the case in the Catalans’ past six home games, so a draw with one goal each looks likely.
Predicted Real Sociedad line-up:
Remiro – Le Normand – Rico – Gorosabel – Merino – Guevara – Zubimendi – Silva – Portu – Oyarzabal – Isak
Last matches played by Real Sociedad:
Europa League Grp. B
11/25 2021 – AS Monaco 2 – 1 San Sebastian
LaLiga
11/21 2021 – San Sebastian 0 – 0 Valencia
11/07 2021 – Osasuna Pamplona 0 – 2 San Sebastian
Europa League Grp. B
11/04 2021 – San Sebastian 1 – 1 Sturm Graz
LaLiga
10/31 2021 – San Sebastian 1 – 1 Athletic Bilbao
Espanyol Barcelona – Real Sociedad Direct comparison / H2H record
The Catalans and “Reala” last faced each other in July last year. Sociedad won 2-1 at home in the Reale Arena. Both goals were set up by the recovered Mikel Oyarzabal. Thanks to the win, the visitors are currently on a three-game winning streak in this fixture.
The away record of the second-placed team against the promoted team from the recent past is again completely balanced with four wins and defeats each and two draws. For the next edition of Espanyol Barcelona vs Real Sociedad, the odds are now slightly in favour of “Erreala”.
Espanyol Barcelona – Real Sociedad Tip
Sociedad arrive with an impressive run of 13 unbeaten league games (8-5-1). Only their nemesis FC Barcelona have beaten the visitors so far this season, but that defeat dates back to matchday one, more than a quarter of a year ago.
For the clash between Espanyol Barcelona and Real Sociedad, the tip includes a maximum of two goals. The Blanquiazules are strong at home and will also stand up to the second-placed team. This is supported by the fact that the four-time Spanish Cup winners have already beaten the league leaders from Madrid in front of their own crowd.
Sociedad, on the other hand, are a strong away opponent who, like the home side, have been particularly strong defensively away from home recently. In addition, the games of both teams are not too rich in goals anyway, with an average of around two goals, and only in the matches of Bilbao do fewer goals fall league-wide.
Furthermore, the Basques will not set off any offensive fireworks, as their legs are still a little heavy after the tough game in Monaco last Thursday in the Europa League. Bwin offers betting odds of 1.72 on the match between Espanyol Barcelona and Real Sociedad
