Valencia vs Real Sociedad 10/02/19

10 February 2019

The unpredictable Valencia team welcome Real Sociedad to the Estadio de Mestalla for La Liga mid-table encounter, in a direct clash between the sides for interfering in the European promotion territory.

After months of suffering, the hosts finally have a chance to burst into the top six if they can wrap up all three points here. Unbeaten in their last four league games (W2, D2), the Bats are hoping to post only their fourth LL home triumph (W3, D7, L1) and at the same time, strike back-to-back league wins for the second time this campaign. Seem to have managed to overcome their attacking problems from the early stage of the season; the Oranges have bagged 2+ match goals six times in their last seven games across all competitions. Last but not least, Valencia are one of two teams that are yet to allow over 1.5 goals per match after 11 LL home fixtures.

Meanwhile, the visitors go into the meeting off the back of an encouraging 2-1 win over the Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao that has brought their three-game winless run across all competitions to an end (D3). Real Sociedad’s sudden rise has seen them going from three consecutive La Liga defeats to five league games without a loss (W3, D2), as they now hope to ensure back-to-back league triumphs for the first time this season. Mestalla seems a good place to start, as Imanol Alguacil’s men obtained three wins on their last five visits to this venue. However, it won’t be an easy task considering the Whites and Blues pulled off just one victory on their last four LL road trips (W1, D1, L2), failing to hit the net twice in the process.

Provisional line-up – Valencia:

Gk: Neto Defense: Piccini – Gabriel Paulista – Garay – Lato Midfield: Daniel Wass – Parejo – Coquelin – Cheryshev Attack: Santi Mina – Rodrigo Moreno

Provisional line-up – Real Sociedad:

Gk: Rulli Defense: Theo Hernandez – Zaldua – Raul Navas – Diego Llorente Midfield: Mikel Merino – Zurutuza – Illaramendi Attack: Januzaj – Oyarzabal – Willian Jose