Sevilla vs Real Sociedad
Two top four candidates meet in a lunchtime showdown at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan when Sevilla host Real Sociedad on Saturday.
Both teams have designs on a Champions League place, though at different times during the campaign they may have hoped for more.
Sevilla vs Real Sociedad is a battle of the long shots. Outside the La Liga big three of Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona, Sevilla are the highest-ranked team in terms of title odds, so the smart money is on a fourth-place finish for Julen Lopetegui’s team.
La Real currently occupy third place. However, after a blistering start to the season which took them to the top of the table, Imanol Aguacil’s team has faltered recently and is in danger of rapidly falling out of the race.
The hosts sit in sixth place in the La Liga table with three points and three places behind Sociedad. But with three games in hand and a strong record at home, we’re backing them to draw level with La Real on Saturday.
Talking Points
Sevilla at full strength
Los Sevillanos welcomed in the New Year with a 1-1 draw away to Real Betis in the Seville Derby, but they could have finished the game empty-handed had Betis striker Nabil Fekir not missed a late penalty.
Los Sevillanos weren’t impressive for much of the game, but they always seem to thrive more on home soil even in an empty or sparsely populated stadium.
Julen Lopetegui has an array of creative talent at his disposal and his team has garnered a reputation for attacking flowing football.
In Argentine striker Lucas Ocampos, they have a real gem alongside top scorer Youssef En-Nesyri who has five goals.
Elsewhere, former Milan winger Suso has been a superb addition and Sevilla legend Jesus Navas is still performing at the highest level, with three assists from a wing-back position this season.
There’s more to come from 26-year-old forward Luuk de Jong, as he’s yet to show the form which brought him to Seville from PSV Eindhoven last year.
He scored 94 goals in 159 appearances for the Dutch side and he has the potential to be one of the deadliest strikers in Europe if only he can generate several La Liga 2021 highlights.
And there’s more good news for Lopetegui who can welcome back Brazilian midfielder Fernando from suspension.
Sevilla beat fourth-placed Villarreal, 2-0, when they last played at home and they will be going all out for a repeat of that result on Saturday.
La Real must find a way without Silva
After a run of three defeats, Imanol Aguacil’s team won the Basque Derby away to Athletic Bilbao thanks to an early goal from Portu, which was his fifth of the season.
And they followed that up by taking a share of the spoils at home to Osasuna, coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw.
La Real has been missing a key man and the contrast in form, with or without him must be a worry to Aguacil.
David Silva’s absence with a hamstring injury coincided with a downturn in results at the Basque club, and so the former Manchester City ace’s fitness or otherwise impacts on the La Liga 2021 betting odds.
Of course it does, because his arrival at the club lifted his teammates to make an excellent start to the campaign.
But he remains doubtful and that heaps more pressure onto 23-year-old Mikel Oyarzabal.
The Spain international has scored seven league goals this season to maintain his team’s challenge, but he needs more players to stand up alongside him and Portu.
Brazilian forward Willian Jose and former Manchester United creative midfielder Adnan Januzaj have it in their lockers, and now would be a good time to open up.
History
In terms of the historic Sevilla vs Real Sociedad matchup, it’s been a close-run thing.
Sevilla is ahead by 17 victories to La Real’s 14 in all games since 1994.
Los Sevillanos are unbeaten in five matches in this fixture and four at home.
They were 3-2 winners in this corresponding fixture last season when Ocampos was on target, while Oyarzabal scored for La Real.
Recent form also favours Sevilla who have won four of the last six and are unbeaten in eight, while Real Sociedad have won one drawn two and lost three of the last six matches.
Betting Tip
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Sevilla vs Real Sociedad | 1X2 Sevilla @ 2.29 |
| January 09, 21:00 (GMT+8) |
With the draw at odds of 3.20 and Sociedad at 3.15 here at SBOTOP, this is by no means a foregone conclusion but three things persuade me that Saturday will see a Sevilla triumph.
Sevilla love playing at home and their form is much better than Sociedad’s. And to top it all off, Julen Lopetegui has a full-strength team on hand.
So basically that’s where I’m heading.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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