The Round 16 La Liga match between Real Sociedad and Girona will take place on 12 December at the Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastián. Real Sociedad – Girona: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Real Sociedad
After a five-match unbeaten run in La Liga, Real Sociedad have slipped back. Last Saturday they lost narrowly to Alavés (0-1), suffering their second league defeat in a row. The Basque side failed to score for the first time in seven matches in this competition, while Sergio Francisco's men have conceded in nine consecutive La Liga fixtures. The recent dip has left them 14th in the table, but relegation is not an immediate threat — Real Sociedad sit four points clear of 18th place.
- At least two goals have been scored in six of the Basques' previous seven La Liga matches.
- The club's uncompromising home run in the league stands at six games (3 wins, 3 losses).
- Real Sociedad have conceded in eight of their last nine home La Liga matches.
Predicted line-up for Real Sociedad (4-3-3)*
Alejandro Remiro – Jon Aramburu, Jon Martín, Aritz Elustondo, Sergio Gómez – Carlos Soler, Jon Gorrotxategi, Brais Méndez – Takefusa Kubo, Gonçalo Guedes, Umar Sadiq.
Defender Igor Zubeldia, midfielder Janhel Herrera, and forwards Mikel Oyarzabal and Orri Óskarsson are unavailable due to injury.
Girona
In the last round of La Liga, Girona were beaten heavily away at Elche (0-3) — their first heavy defeat since 20 September. Not long ago Girona shared points with the likes of Betis and Real Madrid, but the loss ended a three-match unbeaten run in the league (1 win, 2 draws). The Catalans failed to score in that game, after netting consistently across seven earlier league matches. So far this season Girona have managed only two victories, leaving them trapped in the relegation zone. Over their last 15 La Liga matches the team have conceded 29 goals — the worst record in the division — while their 13 scored goals leave them ahead of only Oviedo (7) in that metric.
- The club are without a win in eight consecutive La Liga away matches (3 draws, 5 losses).
- At least two goals have been scored in seven of Girona's last eight league matches.
- Girona have won with a +1.5 handicap in 9 of their previous 10 La Liga fixtures.
Predicted line-up for Girona (4-4-2)*
Paulo Gazzaniga – Alejandro Francés, Daley Blind, Vitor Reis, Alex Moreno – Axel Witsel, Iván Martín, Viktor Tsyhankov, Bryan Gil – Yaser Asprilla, Vladyslav Vanat.
Midfielder Azzedine Ounahi has returned from suspension. Goalkeepers Juan Carlos Martín and Vladyslav Krapivtsov, defender David López, midfielder Donny van de Beek, and forwards Abel Ruiz, Christian Stuani and Portu are unavailable due to injury.
Prediction for Real Sociedad – Girona
Despite both teams sitting in the lower half of the table, goalless games remain relatively rare for these sides. Keeping a clean sheet is difficult and has been achieved infrequently: in six of Real Sociedad's previous seven La Liga matches both teams found the net. Focusing on home fixtures, both teams scored in six of the Basques' last eight league games at Anoeta.
Girona, who concede more than most in the league, failed to see both teams score in only two of their last eight league matches. Their most recent away game ended in a shutout defeat, but prior to that both teams had scored in five consecutive away league games for Girona. Across the six most recent meetings with Real Sociedad in La Liga, both teams scored on four occasions.
Prediction: Both teams to score – Yes
* Each team's starting line-up refers to their most recent match in this competition.
