Leganes vs Real Sociedad Predictions

• Leganes have scored in seven of their last eight home matches, but have conceded at least twice on five occasions.
• Real Sociedad’s last five La Liga matches have all produced over 2.5 goals.
• Sociedad have scored in six of their last eight league matches on the road, but have shipped three goals in all but one of their last four away games.
• Following last weekend’s 0-0 stalemate against Atletico Madrid, Leganes have lost just one of their last six La Liga matches (W2, D3 and L1).

Lega excel in Madrid derby

League positions and a 0-3 hammering at home to Getafe on Matchday 19 indicated Leganes had little chance against Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano last weekend, but Javier Aguirre’s side produced one of their best displays of the campaign to earn a highly credible 0-0 draw. It’s fair to say Atleti turned in a pretty inept display in that contest but there was more than enough from Los Pepineros to suggest they’re far from a lost cause this season.

A tinkered starting XI couldn’t back that effort up in midweek as Lega were steamrollered 5-0 by Barcelona in the Last 16 of the Copa Del Rey at Camp Nou. But a cup exit may well prove to be a blessing in disguise for Aguirre’s men, who can now fully concentrate on trying to preserve their La Liga status.

And aside from that aforementioned mauling at the hands of Getafe, Lega have been in their best league form of the season so far, with just one defeat suffered now in six outings. They will take plenty of confidence from recent results into this Sunday’s clash against Real Sociedad, and they will be further encouraged by the 1-1 draw they gained at Reale Arena in November’s reverse fixture.

Sociedad back in business

Real Sociedad’s top-four aspirations took a real hit earlier in January after consecutive defeats against Villarreal (1-2) and Real Betis (3-0), but Txuri-urdinak made the most of a decent opportunity to get back on track at home to Mallorca last weekend. Anything but a win for Imanol Alguacil’s side at Reale Arena would’ve been classed as a real disaster, considering Mallorca travelled to San Sebastian with just one point on the board from nine away outings this term; but Sociedad held their nerve well after a tricky first half to get the job done.

Second-half goals from Isak, Barrenetxea and Portu sealed what turned out to be a comfortable 3-0 success for Txuri-urdinak at the end of the 90 minutes. The result keeps Sociedad sixth in the table and just two points behind the Champions League qualification places.

On paper, this Sunday’s encounter offers Sociedad a great chance to follow up and build some further momentum after their 3-1 midweek victory over Osasuna in the Copa Del Rey. But their inconsistent league form over the past couple of months means they are no shoe-ins at Butarque, against a Leganes outfit who are gradually beginning to turn their fortunes around.

Back both teams to score at Butarque

Three wins, three draws and three defeats from their last nine La Liga matches emphasises just how in and out Real Sociedad have been of late, and there’s plenty of reasons to avoid the match betting in Sunday’s early kick-off. It looks extremely likely, though, that we’ll see both teams register at Butarque and that’s our recommended wager for this Matchday 22 contest. Leganes have scored in all but one of their last eight home matches, but defensively they’ve been sloppy with at least two goals conceded in five of those games.

Real Sociedad have experienced similar issues at the back on their travels of late, with three goals conceded in all but one of their last four outings on the road. Txuri-urdinak have nonetheless managed to find the net themselves in six of their last eight away games, so you can see why we fancy both teams to score here.

With reasons to oppose both sides for the win and November’s 1-1 draw at Real Arena also in mind, we think this Sunday’s clash could also finish all square. With more goals expected this time around, 2-2 is our correct score forecast for this weekend’s action at Butarque.