Preview and Prediction
Sevilla have officially sealed one spot for Champions League next season. So, technically the last two matches are merely nothing but for formality. Yet, the battle for Europe is not over yet for Real Sociedad. Imanol Alguacil’s men are still involved in a six-way tussle for two remaining Europa league places with Granada, Getafe, Valencia, Villareal and Athletic Bilbao. This midweek, they will be hosting The Andalusian side. The inconsistency after the restart is something which concerns them at this decisive stage.
The teams’ previous matches
Real Sociedad had a big win against Villareal on the road last weekend. They surprisingly crushed the host 2-1. Two goals from the header of William Jose and Diego Llorente were the ones that made the difference while The Yellow Submarine could only reply once by Santi Cazorla’s strike.
Sevilla also had an important victory in the previous outing versus Mallorca last weekend. Lucas Ocampos once again took his penalty successfully before Youssef En Nesyri doubled their lead as he found the back of the net on 84th minute. Such result marked their return to the most prestigious continental competition next season.
Possible tactic
Imanol Alguacil has been in favour of 4-3-3 formation with the transition to 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1. He relies on either the Swedish youngster, Alexander Isak or William Jose as the frontman supported by Real Madrid loanee, Martin Odegaard, Portu and Mikel Oyarzabal. However, his starting IX would not be complete as Asier Illaramendi and Adnan Januzaj are ruled out for this fixture due to their injury along with Ander Guevara plus Lucas Sangalli.
Meanwhile, Julen Lopetegui’s men have finally reached the target for UCL. He employs 4-3-3 formation most of the time with Lucas Ocampos, Munir El-Haddadi and Luuk de Jong as the main trio upfront. Unfortunately, the main goalkeeper Thomas Vaclik and Sebastian Corchia are sidelined for this match.
Players to watch
Sociedad’s top performers this season are Mikel Merino with his five goals and one assists, the Norwegian wonderboy Martin Odegaard and Mikel Oyarzabal who has scored ten goals and provided eleven assists. Another notable figure to watch is Portu.
Meanwhile, the Andalusian side’s shining star is surely the Argentine Lucas Ocampos, who has bagged fourteen goals and made three assists this season. Some other key figures are Ever Banega the former Barcelona man Munir El-Haddadi and Real Madrid loanee, Sergio Reguilon.
Real Sociedad vs Sevilla Prediction
The battle in Reale Arena sees a tight clash of both teams. Ever Banega and Co’s form are more impressive after the lockdown than the home side, which are still struggling with consistency. Nevertheless, since Sevilla has nothing to lose, Real Sociedad might have a chance to secure a narrow win or at least to pick up one point here.
Betting odds
This upcoming match is expected to be even. Mikel Ozaryabal and Co are projected to win at 2.30, whereas Sevilla’s odds to win are quite lower at 3.00. The odds for the draw result are at the value of 3.50.
