Matchday 18 of La Liga between Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad will take place on December 21 at the Balaídos Stadium. Celta Vigo vs. Real Sociedad: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Mateo Busquets Ferrer (Spain)
Matches – 9 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 50;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.6;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 30;
Penalties – 33%.
Predicted lineups for Celta Vigo vs. Real Sociedad
Celta Vigo (3-4-3): Vicente Guaita – Marcos Alonso, Javi Rodriguez, Carl Starfelt – Oscar Mingueza, Ilaix Moriba, Hugo Alvarez, Fran Beltran – Iago Aspas, Williot Swedberg, Pablo Duran.
Real Sociedad (4-1-4-1): Alejandro Remiro – Jon Aramburu, Javi Lopez, Nayef Aguerd, Igor Zubeldia – Martin Zubimendi – Sergio Gomez, Luka Sucic, Takefusa Kubo, Brais Mendez – Mikel Oyarzabal.
Each team’s starting lineup from their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Celta Vigo
The Galicians played their last round away, where they suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat to Sevilla. In their last five league matches, the team has managed only one victory (2 draws and 2 losses). Due to this poor run, the club has dropped to the lower half of the table. However, Claudio Giraldez'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 defensive play, having conceded 28 goals (only Valladolid has a worse defensive record).
- At least two goals have been scored in 6 of the Galicians' last 8 La Liga games.
- The number "1" has appeared in the final score of 7 of Celta's last 9 home matches in La Liga.
- Both teams scored in 10 of the club's last 13 home league matches.
Real Sociedad
The San Sebastián side has not conceded in three consecutive league matches for the first time this season. The team defeated Betis (2-0) and Leganes (3-0), and in the last round, they drew with Las Palmas (0-0). Thanks to this successful run, the club has climbed to 7th place. It's also worth mentioning the Basque defense, which, alongside Atletico, 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 have been scored in 8 of the San Sebastián side's last 9 La Liga matches.
- In 9 of the Basque team's last 10 league games, one of the teams won with a clean sheet in the first half.
Celta Vigo vs. Real Sociedad: Match Prediction
The Galicians are a distinctly home-oriented team. They rely on their stadium for the upcoming match, so I anticipate that the visitors will face challenges not only in breaking through the hosts' defense but will also need to pay more attention to their own defense to hold off Celta's strong attack. However, Real Sociedad is prepared for this – in their last six league matches, they have conceded only one goal, while scoring just 16 goals in their previous 17 La Liga games.
The San Sebastián side ranks fourth in La Liga for away performances. In eight away games this season, the team has conceded just two goals. Therefore, it will be incredibly challenging for Celta to score even one goal against such a defense. Notably, in head-to-head encounters, Real Sociedad has not lost to the Galicians in eight consecutive La Liga matches (6 wins and 2 draws). Furthermore, the Basques have won all five of their previous visits to this stadium in the league.
My prediction – Double chance 2X and Total under 2.5 goals
