Espanyol v Real Sociedad Bet Builder Stats & Predictions
Espanyol v Real Sociedad
Kick Off: Saturday 24th August, 20:30
Competition: La Liga
Watch Live: Premier Sports 1
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Espanyol host Real Sociedad in week two of La Liga after both clubs got off to a losing start on the opening weekend. The Barcelona outfit, who are back in the top-flight after a one-year absence, suffered a 1-0 loss against Real Valladolid on Monday, suffering a narrow defeat in what was a tight match.
On the other hand, La Real had already gone down 2-1 at home to Real Vallecano in a similarly close-fought match, which they played without key man Mikel Merino due to his impending transfer to Arsenal. Who will bounce back better in this one?
Match stats: Sociedad favourites but look at corners
One of the great strengths of Espanyol as they won promotion to La Liga via the playoffs last season was their home form. They lost only one of their 21 regular season matches at the Stage Front Stadium, while their decisive performance in the playoff final came as they claimed a 2-0 win over Real Oviedo, fighting back successfully from a first-leg deficit.
Despite this, goals have been hard to come by for Manolo Gonzalez’s side. Only one of their last 10 competitive matches has seen both sides hit the net, dating back to April. Their season opener rather summed this up. In losing 1-0 to Valladolid, there was just 1.4xG created, including only 0.6xG in their favour.
Real Sociedad, meanwhile, were strong on the road last term. They posted eight wins, six draws and five defeats on their travels in La Liga, which was the same record as they boasted at home. La Real scored one goal fewer on their travels but also conceded one fewer. Similarly, these were not high-scoring fixtures. A total of 44 goals were netted in their away trips, equating to a little over 2.3 per match.
If goals are likely to be at a premium, how about corners? Real Sociedad averaged 5.21 in La Liga last term, one of only five clubs to exceed 5 per game on average. Last week, they won 10. Meanwhile, they conceded only 3.61 corners per game, which was the lowest figure among La Liga teams. La Real should be backed to win more corners than their opponents in this clash.
As for the outcome of the match, Real Sociedad are favourites at 2.1, but after their performance last week should not be seen as value at this price. Similarly, they are short on the Double Chance market at 1.22.
Prediction:
Real Sociedad to win more corners @ 1.67
Shot stats: Zubimendi brings life to La Real
Real Sociedad were not a side that managed a great deal of efforts on goal last season. Indeed, the only player to muster more than 1 shot on target per 90 in La Liga among the whole squad was fringe man Sheraldo Becker. Takefusa Kubo with 21 and Mikel Oyarzabal with 16 were their players who had the most shots on goal but these equated to 0.88 and 0.67 shots on target per 90. Neither managed to hit the target last week.
One man who did have a profound impact against Rayo Vallecano was Martin Zubimendi. Fresh from rejecting the chance to move to Liverpool, he only played the second 45 minutes of that encounter and achieved two shots, one of which was on target. Despite a busy summer with Spain, he looked fresh and injected new life into his side. Expect Sociedad to be brighter going forward with him in their ranks.
Martin Zubimendi: The Metronome at the Heart of Real Sociedad’s Midfield
Similarly, for raw shots, look at Brais Mendez to ask questions. He mustered 2.46 per 90 last season and had two efforts last week, getting the full 90 minutes. Striker Javi Puado earmarked himself as Espanyol’s chief threat last week as he had three shots at goal. These were low-quality efforts totalling just 0.1xG.
The fact that the average distance of these efforts was close to 21 metres out shows that he is not afraid to have a go and indicates he will carry a threat here. He had 0.88 shots on target per 90 during his last season in La Liga. Look for veteran defender Sergi Gomez to threaten from set pieces. He was one of only two players to get a shot on target for Espanyol last week.
Predictions:
Martin Zubimendi to have 1 or more shots on target @ 3.30
Javi Puado to have 1 or more shots on target @ 1.50
Foul stats: Traore to be pressurised
Real Sociedad were one of La Liga’s leaders last season when it came to committing fouls, though not so much in terms of picking up cards. The Basque side finished the campaign with an average of 15.9 fouls per game, which was second only to Getafe in Spain’s top-flight.
It is likely that this figure drops this season. Mikel Merino was one of their leading criminals on 2.54 fouls per 90 and will, by all accounts, depart for Arsenal before the end of the summer transfer window. Still, look for La Real to give away plenty of free kicks. Last week, they gave up 14 free kicks.
Mendez will come into focus in the Fouls Market, both in terms of giving away and winning free kicks. He committed 2.16 fouls per 90 last season and won 2.09. Playing off the right last week, he continued in this vein last week, committing four offences but also winning six fouls. If Sociedad’s fouls last week were primarily won in the wide areas, Espanyol central midfielder Jose Gragera was the man committing the offences in the heart of the park for the newly promoted side. He gave up three of just eight fouls.
The Barcelona side, meanwhile, won free kicks in the wide left area through substitutes Antoniu and Irvin Cardona. To this end, look for Hamari Traore, the Real Sociedad right-back, to be examined, particularly late in the game when he is tired. Although he did not give away a free kick last weekend, he averaged 1.25 free kicks against him in La Liga last season, pointing to potential foul trouble ahead for the Mali star.
Predictions:
Hamari Traore to commit 2 or more fouls @ 2.10
Brais Mendez to commit 2 or more fouls @ 1.36
By: @AndysBetClubUK
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images
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