Villarreal vs Real Sociedad prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-12-08 17:30.
Villarreal finally appear to be on an upward trajectory following the appointment of Marcelino García Toral as manager. The 58-year old took the reins midway through November after the sacking of Pacheta and he remains unbeaten in five games across all competitions (D2). The most recent of those outings was a rescheduled UEFA Europa League clash with Maccabi Haifa in midweek, which saw them miss out on the chance to draw level with Rennes in top spot thanks to a 0-0 draw.
That came hot on the heels of a 1-1 La Liga (LL) stalemate away to Sevilla, a result which means the Yellow Submarine are closing in on a place in the top half of the table, having spent much of the season so far worrying about a relegation battle. Whether they can push on and record back-to-back home wins in the league since May remains to be seen, especially against a side they have often struggled against at Estadio de la Cerámica in recent years (W2, D2, L3).
Visitors Real Sociedad have had no such relegation concerns this season, as they arrive here on the back of a run of just two defeats in their last ten league outings (W6, D2). Such form has helped the White and Blues accumulate 26 points from their opening 15 fixtures, a total they bettered on only three occasions over the last 21 campaigns.
Imanol Alguacil’s side still sit outside of the top four, a position not helped by slipping up with a 1-1 draw against struggling Osasuna in their most recent league outing. The manager claimed his side “deserved the victory” in that game, but it simply continued a poor recent trend on the road for Sociedad over their last 15 such LL games (W4, D5, L6).
Key battle: Villarreal captain Raúl Albiol is attempting to end a run of just one win in his last six H2Hs (D2, L3), failing to keep a clean sheet during that period. He is likely to come up against Mikel Oyarzabal, who has suffered only two defeats across the last 16 LL games in which he has scored for Real Sociedad (W10, D4).
Hot stat: Only one team in LL had conceded fewer first-half goals than Real Sociedad’s six heading into this round.