The Matchday 23 La Liga clash between Real Sociedad and Elche will take place on february 7 at the Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastian. Real Sociedad vs Elche: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Real Sociedad
In the previous round, the club were just minutes away from winning the Basque derby against Athletic (1:1). Real Sociedad dropped 2 points, but their unbeaten run in La Liga now stands at six matches (3 wins, 3 draws). The team have not put together such a long spell without defeat in this competition for more than two years. Real Sociedad sit eighth in the table, and the club are six points away from both the European places and 18th spot. It is worth noting that Real Sociedad have failed to keep a clean sheet in 16 consecutive La Liga matches, but they have also scored at least once in 14 of those 16 games.
- The club’s scoring run in the Spanish league has reached seven matches.
- Real Sociedad have not conceded more than one goal in six consecutive matches in this competition.
- Both teams have scored in Real Sociedad’s last seven home games in La Liga.
Potential Real Sociedad Lineup (4-4-2)*
Alejandro Remiro – Igor Zubeldia, Jon Martin, Jon Aramburu, Sergio Gomez – Jon Gorrotxategi, Gonçalo Guedes, Carlos Soler, Pablo Marin – Luka Sučić, Mikel Oyarzabal.
Brais Mendez is suspended. Due to fitness issues, midfielder Takefusa Kubo and goalkeeper Unai Marrero will not be available. The participation of midfielders Ander Barrenetxea and Arsen Zakharyan is in doubt.
Elche
The team have gone five straight La Liga matches without a win (2 draws, 3 defeats), but overall the problems have been dragging on for several months. Over the last 15 league rounds, Elche have recorded just two wins and 11 points, with only Oviedo (10 points) performing worse in that spell. After last Saturday’s home defeat to Barcelona, the club dropped to 13th in the table, with the gap to the relegation zone reduced to two points. It is worth noting that the team’s scoring streak in La Liga has reached eight games, while in the previous five matches Elche have not kept a clean sheet once.
- The club have won with a (+1.5) handicap in eight of their last 11 La Liga matches.
- Elche have scored more than one goal in only one of their last eight away games in this competition.
- Elche have conceded in 10 consecutive away matches in the Spanish league.
Potential Elche Lineup (3-5-2)*
Iñaki Peña – David Affengruber, John Donald, Víctor Chust – Germán Valera, Adrià Pedrosa, Rodrigo Mendoza, Grady Diangana, Marc Aguado – Álvaro Rodríguez, André Silva.
Aleix Febas has served his suspension. Defender Héctor Fort is unavailable due to injury. The participation of midfielder Josan and forward Rafa Mir is in doubt.
Match Prediction for Real Sociedad vs Elche
Since the coaching change, Real Sociedad have hit very solid form. Although the club’s winning run in the league came to an end last weekend, they were just a few minutes away from claiming a fourth consecutive La Liga victory in the away derby against Athletic. Now the team host one of their most comfortable opponents. Real Sociedad are unbeaten in seven head-to-head La Liga meetings with Elche, and six of those seven matches ended in wins.
Elche remain far from their best. The team win extremely rarely, and at the end of january they suffered back-to-back defeats in La Liga for only the second time this season. Away games regularly prove to be a tough test, and in the current league campaign the club have not won any of their last 10 matches in this competition. What is more, across Elche’s last seven La Liga away games, they have suffered six defeats and recorded only one draw.
Prediction: Real Sociedad to win
* For each team, the starting lineup from its last match in this competition is listed.
