Real Sociedad vs Espanyol

November 3, 2012
By: John Hansen

Real Sociedad can not only escape the danger zone with three points from this match but also push relegation rivals Espanyol further down the La Liga standings. Los Periquitos have been pretty pathetic on the travels this season, which could prove to be a problem when facing one of the best home sides in the elite division.

First point from the travels

Real Sociedad didn’t need a lot of time to establish a good reputation after returning to the top flight, with the Basque side quickly becoming a genuine mid table team. The club made some shrewd transfer dealings in the summer, making Carlos Vela’s loan deal permanent while adding Jose Angel and Gonzalo Castro to the squad, and the team had a pretty good start to the season. While their performances on the travels still leave a lot to be desired, with 2-2 draw with Valladolid last weekend their first point on the road this term, their Anoeta remains a real fortress. After beating Celta Vigo, Real Zaragoza and bitter rivals Athletic Bilbao at home, Real Sociedad did lose to red-hot Atletico Madrid, but not after completely outplaying their more illustrious opponents and conceding a goal in injury-time. That match proved that Sociedad are rightly considered one of the strongest hosts in the top flight, and I do trust them to return to winning ways against out-of-sorts Espanyol.

Boss Philippe Montanier will restore his strongest line-up after resting most of the starters in midweek, but Omar Bravo, Elustondo and Zurutuza remain injury doubts.

Tough times for Espanyol

Espanyol began last season in bright fashion and they even entered the race for European places at one point in time, but shocking performances in the second part of the season saw them finish the campaign just five points above the relegation zone. With important players Vladimir Weiss, Philippe Coutinho, Kalu Uche, Walter Pandiani and Alvaro Vazquez all leaving in the summer, los Periquitos were always going to be in for a difficult season this term. With the new signings still struggling to adapt to the new surroundings, Espanyol have had a dreadful start to the league campaign, taking just one point from first six games. The team have since showed some improvement, taking 5 points from last 3 games, but it is evident they still largely struggle on the travels. Espanyol have now gone 17 games without a win away from home, and having taken just one point on the road this season, they look destined for defeat at Anoeta.

Ernesto Galan is suspended, whereas Juan Albin and Javi Lopez are both doubtful through injury.

Verdict

Having won three home games this season and outplayed mighty Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad have every reason to hope for another comfortable win at home. Espanyol are all over the place at the moment and largely struggle on the travels, so this is a real no-brainer in my opinion.

Top pick: Home win   1.87 (20/23) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 1: Over 2.5 goals   2.10 (11/10) @ Ladbrokes

Alternative pick 2: Real Sociedad with -1 European handicap   3.25 (9/4) @ SkyBet

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