Villarreal vs Real Sociedad prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-04-01 16:30.
One of the biggest matches of the La Liga weekend takes place on Spain’s eastern coastline, as European contenders Villarreal and Real Sociedad go head-to-head. The Yellow Submarine went into the international break after a 3-0 victory over Osasuna ended a three-match winless run (D2, L1), and they’ll now be looking to close the seven-point gap to the top-four ahead of this round by securing further success here.
Home boss Quique Setién will be looking to make the Estadio de la Cerámica a harder place to visit, as he’s seen his side win just one of their last five home games in all competitions (D1, L3). He’ll be hoping to inspire a quicker start from his team if they’re to keep up their European pursuit, as Villarreal have led at the break in just four of their 26 league games (HT: D13, L9).
That’ll be music to the ears of visiting Sociedad who’ve opened the scoring in 17 of their 26 games, and continuing that would go some way to cementing their place inside the top-four. La Real have won just one of their last seven games in all competitions though (D4, L2), a run that’s seen them crash out of the UEFA Europa League, meaning all of their focus will now be devoted to returning to the Champions League.
Imanol Alguacil’s men could move level on points with third-place Atlético Madrid with a victory here, as Sociedad aim for a first top-three finish in the top-flight since 2003! Hitting the road might even inspire confidence of achieving that as they’ve won 26 of their 48 points away from home, while they’re unbeaten in their last four league trips to Villarreal (W3, D1).
Players to watch: Veteran forward José Luis Morales netted a late brace in Villarreal’s recent victory over Osasuna, and it could be late on that he makes an impact again as he’s now scored seven of his 14 goals beyond the 75th minute this term. Sociedad’s David Silva has enjoyed facing the Yellow Submarine, winning eight of his 12 personal H2Hs down the years (D1, L3).
Hot stat: Just one of Villarreal’s last six home games produced more than 2.5 goals.