The battle for sixth place in the La Liga table will get more interesting on Sunday, as Villarreal welcomes Real Sociedad to the Estadio de la Ceramica with kickoff at 8:30 pm.
After rising through the ranks and making a name for themselves in the conversation for a top-six finish, Villarreal seemingly paid the price for their gruelling Champions League run as two legs of their semi-final tie with Liverpool came either side of an embarrassing defeat to strugglers Alaves in La Liga.
Following their exit from the continental competition, the Yellow Submarine took on Sevilla and looked set to see a 1-0 win thanks to Giovani Lo Celso’s late goal.
However, Jules Kounde was able to force a share of the spoils deep into injury time, which saw Unai Emery’s men lose ground in their race for continental qualification. They were then able to make a crucial return to winning ways last time against Real Sociedad.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad will be looking to confirm their spot in next year’s Champions League. La Real has had a rollercoaster season, looking like a lock for European football and then going on a four-game losing streak. But the team was able to recover and win its last game.
Villarreal vs Real Sociedad Head to Head
Both sides have 28 games against each other with hosts taking 13 wins while visitors with six wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Rayo Vallecano 1-5 Villarreal
- Villarreal 1-1 Sevilla
- Villarreal 2-3 Liverpool
- Alaves 2-1 Villarreal
- Liverpool 2-0 Villarreal
Away
- Real Sociedad 3-0 Cadiz
- Levante 2-1 Real Sociedad
- Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Real Sociedad
- Real Sociedad 0-1 Barcelona
- Real Sociedad 0-0 Real Betis
Villarreal Team News
With Gerard Moreno and Arnaut Danjuma still out injured, Paco Alcacer will again lead the line for Villarreal. After their dominant display against Sevilla, Unai Emery has little reason to make too many changes to his starting XI with Samu Chukwueze and Tottenham Hotspur loanee Giovani Lo Celso again set to support the lone striker.
Real Sociedad Team News
Real Sociedad has injury issues to deal with, as Ander Barrenetxea, Mikel Oyarzabal, Nacho Monreal, and Carlos Fernandez will be unavailable to play today.
Prediction and Odds
While the hosts desperately need a win to keep pace in their race for European qualification, they are not likely to find an easy target in a stronger defence, and we do not see them putting La Real to the sword with a makeshift front line.
- Draw
- Double Chance
- Both Teams to Score
