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Our expert, Tom Winch, has put together a Girona vs Real Sociedad prediction, tips and best bets preview ahead of the clash taking place at Estadio Municipal de Montilivi in La Liga.
Will Girona ever slow down? Real Sociedad have the tricky task of facing Michel’s men on Saturday night. Imanol Alguacil’s men have suffered defeat just four times this term, the reverse clash ended all square.
Elsewhere on bettingexpert, Tom has penned an Athletic Bilbao vs Mallorca preview that you might want to check out.
In this article:
Spain, La Liga, Saturday, February 3rd, 20:00 (UK)
This encounter is a tough one to crack. We all know just how impressive Girona has been throughout the entire 2023/24 season. Michel’s men have a ridiculous record (W17/D4/L1) and have found the back of the net in 20 of their 22 outings this term. Girona have scored a whopping 52 goals this season, with 30 arriving in 11 matches at this venue.
Sociedad are solid and compact and aren’t often involved in shootouts; three of their previous six La Liga matches have ended 0-0. They’re not bad when it comes to finding the back of the net. Just five sides from 22 have managed to shut them out.
BTTS appeals to me here. You just can’t back against Girona in the goals department. Defensively, they have been somewhat riding their luck. Michel’s men have conceded 25 times this term and have the 8th-worst xGA across the division.
The visitors certainly have the quality in offensive areas to cause the home side problems; Mikel Oyarzabal is the main threat, and the Spaniard has scored eight goals this campaign.
This selection has won in 55% of matches this term when these sides play at home and away, respectively. Girona have kept just two clean sheets in their previous nine at this stadium.
Sociedad has played three standout sides away from home this season, those being Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao. They lost each clash 2-1. I think it’s fair to say that we can add Girona to that list of sides, given their remarkable campaign to date.
The home team has won nine of their 11 games at Estadio Municipal de Montilivi this term; only Bilbao and Real Madrid have left here with points. It’s clear that this Girona side is full of confidence. They’re having an unforgettable season, and I don’t think they’ll fear their upcoming opponents in the slightest.
Girona has earned 2.55 points per game here, a huge comparison to Sociedad’s 1.45 away from home. All four of Sociedad’s defeats this term have come against the leading pack. Girona will fancy themselves here, and I’m happy to get onside with them on the Asian Handicap instead of the 1X2.
Sociedad has a huge Copa Del Rey semi-final just three days after this encounter; there will be plenty of eyes on that clash, so priorities may be elsewhere heading here.
Artem ‘Dangerous’ Dovbyk, the Ukrainian is some player and a man I’m backing once again in the AGS market.
Girona’s number nine has scored 14 times this term in La Liga. Only Jude Bellingham has as many goals as Dovbyk this term. These sides met on the opening day of the season; it was Dovbyk’s first appearance as a Girona player; he was substituted just after the hour mark, and within eight minutes, he found the back of the net.
The forward is having a great season; his stats are phenomenal. Dovbyk is averaging 3.35 shots per 90 this term and 1.74 shots on target. He’s scoring every 96 minutes for his club and will be on penalty duties. It’s always a bonus.
With Girona expected to create plenty of chances, I expect Dovbyk to be heavily involved. Forty-five of his 50 shots this term have come inside the box, with 26 of those coming on target.
Girona vs Real Sociedad Prediction odds via bet365 as at 12:00, January 29th, 2024. Odds may now differ.
David Lopez, Eric Garcia and Juanpe will all miss this clash; the trio of Centre-Backs have muscle, back and leg injuries, respectively.
Tsygankov, Portu and Savio are expected to play behind Dovbyk once again. Ivan Martin may start after coming off the bench in their win at Celta over the weekend.
Sociedad will be without Aihen Munoz for the rest of 23/24. Barrenetxea is doubtful, whilst Zakharyan and Carlos Fernandez will be absent for a number of weeks.
Important few weeks are coming up for Sociedad, Copa Del Rey, and Champions League encounters just around the corner, so priorities could well be elsewhere.
Our in-house predictive model, BETSiE, has had a go at predicting the La Liga table by using the plethora of underlying data from the 2023/24 season up until this point.
For more league-specific BETSiE content, visit her page here – it’s worth it.
Position | Club | Games | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Real Madrid | 38 | 26.0 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 76.7 | 32.2 | 44.6 | 85.1 |
2 | Barcelona | 38 | 24.5 | 8.2 | 5.3 | 82.4 | 43.9 | 38.5 | 81.7 |
3 | Girona | 38 | 23.6 | 7.5 | 6.9 | 82.2 | 51.7 | 30.6 | 78.4 |
4 | Ath Bilbao | 38 | 21.9 | 8.6 | 7.5 | 71.0 | 38.4 | 32.6 | 74.2 |
5 | Atl. Madrid | 38 | 22.4 | 6.0 | 9.6 | 72.5 | 44.2 | 28.3 | 73.1 |
6 | Real Sociedad | 38 | 16.0 | 12.3 | 9.8 | 55.2 | 41.8 | 13.4 | 60.1 |
7 | Valencia | 38 | 15.3 | 9.6 | 13.1 | 46.8 | 43.8 | 3.0 | 55.4 |
8 | Betis | 38 | 13.5 | 14.2 | 10.2 | 47.0 | 46.3 | 0.6 | 54.9 |
9 | Getafe | 38 | 12.1 | 12.4 | 13.4 | 48.7 | 54.0 | -5.3 | 48.8 |
10 | Alaves | 38 | 12.7 | 9.2 | 16.1 | 42.6 | 49.5 | -6.9 | 47.2 |
11 | Las Palmas | 38 | 12.9 | 8.3 | 16.7 | 35.9 | 42.8 | -6.9 | 47.1 |
12 | Vallecano | 38 | 11.5 | 12.4 | 14.2 | 41.4 | 51.2 | -9.8 | 46.8 |
13 | Osasuna | 38 | 12.7 | 8.3 | 16.9 | 46.8 | 58.4 | -11.6 | 46.5 |
14 | Celta | 38 | 10.0 | 10.9 | 17.0 | 46.3 | 57.7 | -11.4 | 41.0 |
15 | Mallorca | 38 | 8.4 | 15.4 | 14.2 | 37.9 | 48.2 | -10.3 | 40.6 |
16 | Villarreal | 38 | 10.2 | 8.5 | 19.3 | 52.5 | 75.4 | -22.9 | 39.0 |
17 | Sevilla | 38 | 8.0 | 11.1 | 19.0 | 45.6 | 61.8 | -16.2 | 35.0 |
18 | Granada | 38 | 6.9 | 8.9 | 22.2 | 42.2 | 70.9 | -28.7 | 29.5 |
19 | Cadiz | 38 | 5.5 | 11.9 | 20.5 | 30.2 | 61.5 | -31.3 | 28.6 |
20 | Almeria | 38 | 5.5 | 9.9 | 22.6 | 44.7 | 74.8 | -30.2 | 26.4 |
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