Real Sociedad vs Rayo Vallecano prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-01-26 13:00.
In-form Real Sociedad will be buoyed by booking their place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals for the first time since winning the competition in 2019/20 when they return to La Liga action. The White and Blues reached the last four by beating Celta Vigo for the second time in four days on Tuesday (2-1), in turn securing their third successive win across all competitions.
Imanol Alguacil’s side will now hope to continue that run in the league, where results have been a bit below par, underlined by just one win from their last five La Liga outings (D3, L1). That means they have slipped a little off the pace in their bid to qualify for the Champions League for the second year running, but they may regain some of that ground on home soil, where only Barcelona have beaten them in 13 league and cup matches this season (W6, D6).
They should be confident of extending that run against opponents Rayo Vallecano, who own the shocking record of failing to win any of the last ten H2Hs (D5, L5). That could only further dampen expectations for the visitors, who head to Sociedad searching for just their second league victory since mid-October (D4, L5), with that form ensuring they are wedged in the bottom half of the table.
The most recent of those matches was a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Las Palmas, after which manager Francisco admitted his side are feeling “anxiety” on home soil, where they’ve managed just one La Liga victory all season. Thankfully for the Red Sashes, things have been much better on the road, where they have accumulated 15 of their 23 points (W4, D3, L3), while only second-placed Real Madrid could better their record of just eight away goals conceded after the last round.
Players to watch: Real Sociedad goalkeeper Álex Remiro has conceded just two goals in his last nine appearances, a stat that doesn’t bode well for Rayo Vallecano defender Florian Lejeune, who has only won one of his nine H2Hs (D4, L4).
Hot streak: None of Rayo Vallecano’s last six league games saw both teams score on the day.