Valencia vs Real Sociedad
All roads lead to Valencia on Saturday evening for a tasty clash between two giants of La Liga which are hopeful of waking from a recent slumber.
La Liga: Valencia vs Real Sociedad is a game with a rich history between two clubs with eight La Liga titles and five Copa del Rey triumphs between them. But they both languished in mid-table last term, Valencia settling for a 12th placed finish, a position behind Sociedad on goal difference alone.
La Real were strangely flat last term after five consecutive top six positions while Valencia have been in the doldrums for a while, but both are showing serious intent to put things right this season and the pre-match Valencia vs Real Sociedad betting odds say we’re in for a cracker.
Talking Points
Los Ches aim to make Mestalla a fortress
For many a year the Mestalla Stadium has been a frightening place for visiting teams to approach as the famously passionate fans make the 49,000 capacity stadium a bubbling cauldron of hostility. Equally it can be a nervy experience for the home players when things aren’t going well, which has been all too often the case in recent seasons. Carlos Corberan took over Valencia last December when the club was in a highly precarious position, in the relegation zone and on a terrible run of results.
The club rallied under the former West Bromwich Albion manager and briefly flirted with the European places before settling into the comfort of mid-table, but another 11th placed finish will not be acceptable to Corberan, the fans, or CEO Ron Gourlay who took his lofty position on the board in May. The former Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion CEO issued a rallying cry on Wednesday, urging the passionate fans to stay with the club and help them to rediscover former glories. But they will need patience in a league dominated by the El Clasico pair of Barcelona and Real Madrid and other heavyweights Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao. “We have to believe we can change the situation,” he said. “I’ve seen the change which has occurred with Carlos Corberan’s arrival, which was huge in a difficult situation.”
Valencia’s pre-season produced mixed results, with a 3-0 win over Serie A side Torino, two draws and two narrow defeats. 23 year old defender Cesar Tarrega looks in fine form and Corberan will build his team around the 6ft 4in centre back, with left back Jose Gaya also influential. At the other end of the pitch 25 year old Hugo Duro is the focal point, scoring 25 goals in 98 games, while Diego Lopez will pull the strings in midfield.
Can Sociedad take pre-season form into the La Liga campaign?
With two wins and two draws La Real have had a good pre-season with victories over Osasuna and Yokohama and draws with Bournemouth and Stade Rennais, scoring eight goals and conceding four. Manager Sergio Francisco stepped up from the club’s B Team to replace long term boss Imanol Alguacil at the helm and his task is to build on the club’s pre-season form.
Captain Mikel Oyarzabal will be a key player again for Sociedad. At 28 years of age he’s been at the Basque club since 2011, stepping up to the first team in 2015 and since then scoring 85 goals in 315 games, as well as notching 16 goals in 45 appearances for Spain. He scored the winner in La Roja’s Euro 2024 final against England and is one of the most respected players in the Primera Division. With the likes of Brais Mendez, Luca Susic and striker Takefuso Kubo in support, Oyarzabal is a good bet to put in another impressive campaign, while Francisco will ensure the team will be set up well and difficult to beat.
The new Sociedad gaffer has a full squad to work with and now he needs to lead them to a fast start, beginning on Saturday.
History
La Real have had the better of the most recent Valencia vs Real Sociedad results with three wins to two, and they have been really tight affairs with four of the matches ending in a 1-0 result.
Sociedad have been unbeaten at the Mestalla on their last two visits and the Basque side will be determined to make it three on the run. If they can keep the home crowd quiet for half an hour or so then they will have a good chance.
Both teams finished last season with something of a whimper, with just one win from their last four La Liga games.
Betting Tip
Valencia and Real Sociedad, alongside another sleeping giant Sevilla, start the season with a clean slate; but it could get grubby fairly soon if they make a slow start, and this clash at the Mestalla will be a gripping affair, with all three results well in play.
Los Ches are the marginal favourites at SBOTOP odds of 2.62 with the draw at 2.81; but I’m backing the boys from the Basque to start with a win.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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