Valencia vs Real Sociedad prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-02-24 20:00.
In danger of losing their 36-year standing amongst the elite, Valencia are now the only club yet to win a La Liga (LL) game in 2023, following Mondayâs demoralising 1-0 defeat at Getafe. There were certainly some glaring swings and misses for the Bats on club legend RubĂ©n Barajaâs managerial debut too, in what was a fourth scoring blank across their last five outings (L5), leaving them two points adrift of a safe berth ahead of this round.
Yet, a home debut often provides the genuine launchpad to better times under a new coach, and Baraja is no exception, going unbeaten across five prior home touchline debuts (W2, D3) â albeit in the second tier. Valenciaâs recent habit of scoring first at the Mestalla provides some hope too, with Los Che doing so in three of their last four LL home games.
As the last side to drop LL points after scoring first against Valencia, third-placed Real Sociedad will be particularly wary of their hostsâ potential ânew dawnâ here. The Basque side only managed a 1-1 home draw in the reverse fixture back in early November, but they have lost just once in league action since (W6, D2), scoring at least twice in each win.
A five-game unbeaten league run on the road (W4, D1) further hints towards a Sociedad victory, especially with that sole draw coming against champions Real Madrid. And despite producing a first-half shutout in the last four of those, they arenât in the habit of wasting time either, netting inside 25 minutes on three occasions during their current unbeaten LL away run.
Players to watch: Samuel Lino bagged Valenciaâs equaliser in the reverse fixture, making three of his four competitive goals this season second overall on the day. In opposition, Alexander SĂžrloth hopes to maintain his recent reputation as a road warrior, having scored in each of the visitorsâ previous four away league victories.
Hot streak: Sociedadâs last four LL away wins have seen them score exactly twice in one half.