Real Sociedad and Villarreal meet at Estadio Municipal de Anoeta, in a match for the 34 th round of the First Division. In the last direct confrontation for this edition of the league, on 18-08-2018, Real Sociedad won out in (1-2). In this stadium, the history of direct confrontations is favorable to the visiting team, which records 3 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses in the last 7 matches. However, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium was on 25-08-2017, for the First Division, which ended with the victory of Real Sociedad by (3-0). The goals of the match were scored by Willian José (25 ‘), Xabi Prieto (34’) and Juanmi (45 ‘) for Real Sociedad. In this game the home factor may be decisive, since Real Sociedad presents considerable differences in their results at home and as a visitor.
Real Sociedad:
The home team is currently in the 11 th position of the league, with 41 points won, after 10 wins, 11 draws and 12 losses. In the penultimate match, they tied in a home match against Eibar, by (1-1). In the last match, they lost out to Barcelona by (2-1). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 3 wins, 6 draws and 6 losses in away matches, with 16 goals scored and 20 conceded; against 6 wins, 6 draws and 3 losses at their stadium, with 19 goals scored and 14 conceded. In the last 10 home league matches Real Sociedad has a record of 4 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses, so they have won 15 points out of 30 possible. The team has conceded goals in 8 of the last 10 matches, so they have not presented great defensive solidity, but their offense has scored consistently, as they have scored goals in 8 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 33 matches in the competition, they suffered the first goal 13 times and only managed 2 comebacks. In the last 16 home matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 6 of their 17 goals between minutes (31′-45 ‘).
Real Sociedad started for this match with a 2-1 defeat in the displacement of the leader Barcelona: the only goal of the team was scored by Juanmi. It is important to note that the home club is going through a more complicated moment, since it has only 2 wins in the last 10 games, all for the national championship. In this game against Villarreal, coach Imanol Aguacil must keep the team in 4-2-3-1, with Willian José the most offensive reference. On the other hand, Mikel Oyarzabal is the best score of Real Sociedad, with 12 goals scored. It is important to underline that the locals exhibit several weaknesses in the defensive stops, aerial game and attack-defense transition. For this game the coach can not count on Zurutuza, Januzaj and Guevara, players recovering from injury.
Villarreal:
The away team is currently in the 14 th position of the league, with 36 points won, after 8 wins, 12 draws and 13 losses. In the penultimate match, they won in an away match against Girona, by (0-1). In the last match, they won in a home match against CD Leganés, by (2-1). This is a team that usually maintains its competitive level in home and away matches, since in the last 30 matches they register 4 wins, 4 draws and 7 losses as a visitor. against 5 wins, 6 draws and 4 losses at their stadium. In the last 10 away matches Villarreal has 2 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses, so they have won 9 points out of 30 possible. In their away league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 0-0 (6 out of 17 matches). They have not been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 7 of the last 10 matches, but their offense has scored frequently, since they have scored goals in 9 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 33 matches in this competition, they have only 1 comeback in the 16 matches they have conceded the first goal. In the last 16 home matches for this competition there are 2 periods that stand out: they scored 6 of their 16 goals between minutes (76′-90 ‘); He suffered 8 of his 21 goals between the minutes (76’-90 ‘).
The yellow submarine arrives to this match with an important triumph, by 3-2, in the reception to the Leganés, registering in this way the second consecutive victory in this championship: Carlos Bacca and Toko Ekambi were the authors of the goals of the team. With these three points the visiting club managed to breathe better in the classification table, however, still not safe from a possible decline. Villarreal plays in a tactical system different from the opponent, that is, in 4-4-2, however, it privileges possession of the ball and attacks through the flanks. Karl Toko Ekambi is the best score of Villarreal, with 9 goals scored.
