The Matchday 20 clash in La Liga between Valencia and Real Sociedad will take place on January 19 at the Mestalla Stadium. Valencia vs. Real Sociedad: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Victor Garcia Verdura (Spain)
Matches – 9 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 40;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.4;
Red cards shown – 6;
Average fouls per match – 28;
Penalties – 56%.
Predicted lineups for Valencia vs. Real Sociedad
Valencia (4-2-3-1): Giorgi Mamardashvili – Cesar Tárrega, Jose Luis Gaya, Dimitri Foulquier, Christian Mosquera – Enzo Barrenechea, Javi Guerra – Luis Rioja, Diego Lopez, Andre Almeida – Hugo Duro.
Real Sociedad (4-1-4-1): Alejandro Remiro – Jon Aramburu, Aihen Muñoz, Aritz Elustondo, Nayef Aguerd – Martin Zubimendi – Takefusa Kubo, Sergio Gomez, Luka Sucic, Brais Mendez – Mikel Oyarzabal.
The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match in this tournament.
Valencia
The club has already played two matches in La Liga in January: first losing at home to Real Madrid (1-2), and then drawing away with Sevilla (1-1). As a result, the team's winless streak in La Liga has extended to seven matches, consisting of three draws and four losses. The club has dropped to the bottom of the league table, trailing the 17th place safety spot by four points.
Defender Thierry Correia will miss the game due to injury.
- Both teams scored in 8 of Valencia's last 10 matches in La Liga.
- The number "1" appeared in the final scoreline in 6 of Valencia's last 7 league matches.
- The club has only won twice in the first half of their last 19 La Liga games (9 draws and 8 losses).
Real Sociedad
The Basques secured a hard-fought and important victory in the last round by defeating Villarreal at home (1-0). Before that, the team had not won or scored in two consecutive La Liga matches – a draw with Las Palmas (0-0) and a loss to Celta (0-2). San Sebastián are currently in 7th place, but the gap to the European competition zone is just two points. Notably, the club has conceded only 13 goals, with only Atletico Madrid (12) having a better defensive record in the league.
Defender Amari Traore will miss the game due to injury, and his colleague Jon Aramburu is suspended due to the accumulation of yellow cards.
- At least one team did not score in Real Sociedad's last 10 matches in La Liga.
- No more than two goals have been scored in 10 of the Basques' last 11 league games.
- The Basques have not lost in the second half in 14 consecutive league matches (5 wins and 9 draws).
Valencia vs. Real Sociedad: Match Prediction
The visitors are slight favorites for the upcoming match. However, I believe the hosts have every chance not to lose on their home turf. After changing the head coach, Valencia has shown some improvement, as seen in their January matches: the team almost took points from Real Madrid and earned a draw away at Sevilla. It is also worth noting that in both these matches, Valencia led and then lost the lead, which Carlos Corberan will likely address.
Real Sociedad is significantly higher in the league table but scores at the level of La Liga's lower teams. Even Valencia has scored one more goal than the Basques. By playing very cautiously in defense, the hosts can aim for at least a draw. Moreover, their main goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili has returned from injury. Additionally, in the last seven head-to-head meetings at Mestalla in La Liga, Valencia has only lost to San Sebastián once (2 wins and 4 draws).
My prediction – Valencia to win or draw
Leganés
Atlético Madrid
Real Betis
Alavés
Getafe
Barcelona
Celta
Athletic Bilbao
Real Madrid
Las Palmas
Osasuna
Rayo Vallecano
Villarreal
Mallorca
