Real Sociedad vs Real Betis predictions and match preview for Sunday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as Manuel Pellegrini takes his side to the Reale Arena.
| Date | Sunday 30th October 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Reale Arena |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Real Sociedad vs Real Betis Preview
Sunday night’s showdown in Donostia is one of the standout games this weekend in LaLiga and it should be a good watch between two talented sides. Real Sociedad and Real Betis were both victorious again in Europe in midweek and are hoping they have enough steam left in the tank to carry them through to the World Cup break.
Managing energy levels is certainly a challenge right now, particularly for Real Sociedad who could still be missing as many as eight players to injury here. It does though feel as though Imanol has done a better job of rotating his players this season, although that has perhaps been aided by having two relatively weak teams in their Europa League group.
They could afford to leave the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Robin Le Normand and Brais Mendez out of their starting XI in Cyprus in midweek but still managed to beat Omonia 2-0. That made it 9 wins out of 10 in all competitions with their only defeat coming last weekend in LaLiga in slightly surprising fashion against Real Valladolid. There was an extra blow in that game with David Silva going off injured and the experienced midfielder could be out until after the World Cup.
Real Sociedad have won all five of their Europa League games but they do still have business to take care of against Manchester United on Thursday if they want to top the group. Betis meanwhile secured top spot and a place in the last 16 on Thursday by beating Ludogorets 1-0 away so you’d imagine Manuel Pellegrini will name his strongest available team with nothing riding on their home game against HJK this coming week.
Betis are also doing slightly better on the selection front with key players such as Nabil Fekir and Sergio Canales available for this game, which hasn’t always been the case in recent weeks. That certainly hampered them in their 2-1 home defeat against Atletico Madrid last weekend, their first dropped points at the Benito Villamarin this season. Overall though, these are still good times for Beticos and the visitors will move into the top four with victory here.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Real Sociedad
| INJURED | Oyarzabal, Merquelanz, Sadiq, Cho, Silva, Munoz, Martin |
| DOUBTFUL | Sola, Barrenetxea |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Remiro – Rico, Le Normand, Elustondo, Gorosabel – Zubimendi, Merino – Kubo, Navarro, Mendez – Sorloth (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Imanol Alguacil
Real Betis
| INJURED | Camarasa, Juanmi, Luiz Felipe |
| DOUBTFUL | Joaquin, Sabaly |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Silva – Moreno, Ruiz, Pezzella, Sabaly – Guido Rodriguez, Carvalho – Henrique, Fekir, Canales – Iglesias (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Manuel Pellegrini
Score Prediction: Real Sociedad 1-2 Real Betis
Real Betis have had the edge on Real Sociedad in recent times with two 4-0 wins over the Basque side last season and that may give them a slight psychological advantage here. They also might be slightly the fresher team given Imanol’s side have had a smaller pool of players to count on during this very busy period as a result of significant injuries and that may just help Betis shade what should be an enjoyable game.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
