Matchday 18 of La Liga between Celta and Real Sociedad will take place on December 21 at the Balaídos Stadium. Celta vs. Real Sociedad: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Predicted lineups for Celta vs. Real Sociedad
Celta (3-4-3): Vicente Guaita – Marcos Alonso, Javi Rodríguez, Carl Starfelt – Óscar Mingueza, Ilaix Moriba, Hugo Álvarez, Fran Beltrán – Iago Aspas, Williot Swedberg, Pablo Durán.
Real Sociedad (4-1-4-1): Alejandro Remiro – Jon Aramburu, Javi López, Nayef Aguerd, Igor Zubeldia – Martín Zubimendi – Sergio Gómez, Luka Sučić, Takefusa Kubo, Brais Méndez – Mikel Oyarzabal.
Each team has listed the starting lineup from their last match in this tournament.
Celta
The Galicians played their last round away, where they narrowly lost 0-1 to Sevilla. The team has managed only one win in their last five league matches (2 draws and 2 losses). This poor run has seen the club drop to the lower half of the table. However, Claudio Giráldez's side is closer to the European competition zone (5 points) than to the relegation zone (7 points). It's also worth noting Celta's weak defense, having conceded 28 goals (only Valladolid has a worse defensive record).
- At least two goals have been scored in 6 of Celta's last 8 La Liga games.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score of 7 of Celta's last 9 home matches in La Liga.
- Both teams scored in 10 of Celta's last 13 home league matches.
Real Sociedad
The San Sebastián team has not conceded in three consecutive league matches for the first time this season. They defeated Betis (2-0) and Leganés (3-0) and drew with Las Palmas (0-0) in the last round. This successful run has lifted the club to 7th place. It's also worth mentioning the Basque defense, which, alongside Atlético, has conceded the fewest goals in La Liga – 11 goals.
- At least one team failed to score in Real Sociedad's last eight La Liga matches.
- No more than two goals were scored in 8 of Real Sociedad's last 9 La Liga games.
- In 9 of Real Sociedad's last 10 league matches, one team won with a "clean sheet" in the first half.
Celta vs. Real Sociedad: Match Prediction
The Galicians are a distinctly home-oriented team. They rely on their home ground in the upcoming match, so I expect the visitors to face challenges not only in breaking through the hosts' defense but also in focusing on their own defense to hold off Celta's decent attack. However, Real Sociedad is prepared for this – in their last six league matches, the club has conceded just one goal, while scoring only 16 goals in their previous 17 La Liga matches.
San Sebastián is fourth in La Liga for away performance. In eight away games this season, the team has conceded just two goals. Thus, it will be incredibly difficult for Celta to score even one goal against such a defense. It's also worth noting their head-to-head record – Real Sociedad has not lost to the Galicians in eight consecutive La Liga matches (6 wins and 2 draws). Additionally, the Basques have won all five of their previous visits to this stadium in the league.
My prediction – Double chance X2 and Total under 2.5 goals