Real Sociedad vs Valencia 23/02/20

23 February 2020

After a disastrous 4-1 away defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League, Valencia return to La Liga (LL) this weekend as they travel to the Reale Seguros Stadium to take on Real Sociedad.

With just one point separating the sides ahead of the kick-off, the hosts can leapfrog seventh-placed Valencia if they can win here, but recent form problems could be a major influence here. Indeed, the Basque giants have won three of their last six LL fixtures, losing the other three, with each of those games producing over 2.5 goals. But, far more comfortable at home, Sociedad have racked up a five-game winning run in all competitions here, scoring over 1.5 goals in each of those successes. Additionally, ‘La Real’ have been far more prolific on home turf so far this campaign, with 58.97% (23) of the 39 league goals scored arriving at the Reale Seguros Stadium. Sociedad’s home action usually sparks into life after the break, as 21 of the 35 LL home goals (scored/conceded) came in the second half (60%).

As for the visitors, they’ve gone from back-to-back league wins to two consecutive matches without a victory (D1, L1), and the abovementioned humiliation to Atalanta now means they’ve suffered three defeats in their last four competitive outings (D1). Valencia’s drop-off in form has coincided with their growing defensive problems. Indeed, Los Ches have shipped over 1.5 goals in their previous four matches after keeping four straight clean sheets prior. Another huge setback for the Oranges is their poor away form. They’ve managed just one triumph in their past five LL road trips (D1, L3), conceding two goals or more on four of those occasions. The one consolation for the traveling fans is that Valencia have won both of their previous top-flight trips to Sociedad, with each of those successes yielding a single-goal margin.