Sevilla vs Real Sociedad match preview and predictions for Saturday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as two top four hopefuls meet.
- DATE: Saturday 9th January 2021
- KICK-OFF: 14:00 (local time)
- STADIUM: Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan
- COMPETITION: LaLiga
Sevilla vs Real Sociedad Preview
This is a really mouthwatering way to kick off what has the makings of a cracking Saturday in LaLiga. While it won’t decide anything, it feels like a significant game in terms of how the race for a top four finish is going to shape up. Real Sociedad got off to a blistering start but over the past couple of months flaws have appeared and they could do with a positive result here to boost their chances of competing with Sevilla over the course of a full season.
Sevilla may be 3 points behind La Real but they do have 3 games in hand on them and that clearly is significant. While by no means the perfect team, Sevilla have a resilience to them and they continue to get results, even when they don’t play well.
That was certainly the case in the derby at Betis last weekend. It was one of the worst showings we’ve seen from Julen Lopetegui’s side but they still managed to leave the Benito Villamarin with a point. It took them onto 17 points from their last 8 games, a record only bettered by the two Madrid clubs in LaLiga and that run crucially involved a 2-0 victory over fellow top four hopefuls Villarreal.
Along with Villarreal and Sevilla, Real Sociedad are the only other realistic candidates for 4th place. They clearly did run out of steam a bit towards the end of 2020 but a decent break over the festive period has helped them come back reasonably well with 4 points from their last 2 games, both derbies against Athletic and Osasuna.
They’ve had another free midweek heading into this one but Supercopa action follows this and there is still a danger that the sheer volume of games is going to lead to them falling well out of top four contention in LaLiga. A win here would delay that prospect at least but they still have a number of lingering injuries and once again Imanol finds himself in the position of having to decide whether or not to prioritize league football over potential cup glory.
Read all our LaLiga match previews here!
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 3 Sevilla Wins, 1 Real Sociedad Win, 2 Draws.
- Sevilla have won all of their last 3 home games against La Real.
- They’ve been 3-2 and 5-2 winners in this fixture in the last two seasons.
- La Real are without a win in 5 meetings with Sevilla overall since a 3-1 victory at Anoeta in December 2017.
Team News
Fernando is available again for Sevilla who should be able to name their strongest XI here.
David Silva, Aritz Elustondo, Joseba Zaldua and Nacho Monreal are all injury doubts for La Real with the former unlikely to feature.
Predicted Sevilla Starting Lineup:
Bono – Acuna, Kounde, Carlos, Navas – Fernando, Rakitic, Jordan – Ocampos, En-Nesyri, Suso (4-3-3)
Predicted Real Sociedad Starting Lineup:
Remiro – Monreal, Le Normand, Zubeldia, Gorosabel – Merino, Guevara, Guridi – Oyarzabal, Isak, Portu (4-3-3)
Sevilla vs Real Sociedad Predictions
Score Prediction: Sevilla 2-1 Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad are easier on the eye, and at times they play some terrific football. However this Sevilla side is an experienced, battle-hardened outfit that knows how to win football matches. They are significantly better than what they showed at Betis last weekend and while their opponents may enjoy plenty of the ball in this game, Sevilla ought to bounce back with a win.
Sevilla vs Real Sociedad Betting Tips (18+)
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