Espanyol vs Real Sociedad Predictions

Just as Espanyol started to reverse their La Liga fortunes with a 1-2 comeback win at Eibar on Matchday 4, Periquitos failed to justify long odds on favouritism in their first Europa League Group Stage match against Ferencvarosi TC on Thursday, having previously romped their way through the qualifying rounds.

New boss David Gallego will be longing for some consistency, but can his side get the better of Real Sociedad at RCDE Stadium this Sunday?

Espanyol looked a cut above Hungarian champions Ferencvarosi TC on paper, and appeared to be bankers amongst the late Europa League kick-offs on Thursday after banking their first La Liga victory of the season last weekend.

After picking up just a single draw from their first three matches which included a woeful 0-3 home defeat to newly promoted Granada, quick-fire goals from Facundo Ferreyra and his replacement Esteban Granero secured a vital three points for Periquitos at Estadio iperua and signalled that David Gallego’s men may be turning the corner.

But Espanyol just couldn’t get the better of Ferencvarosi despite 68% possession and 14 shots on goal, with Mattias Vargas’ strike on the hour mark only good enough to post an underwhelming 1-1 draw.

It remains to be seen how Espanyol will react to that setback this weekend, against a Real Sociedad outfit whose resolve cannot be questioned.

Txuri-urdinak were soundly beaten 2-0 by Athletic Bilbao in the Basque derby before the international break – a result and performance which could have easily demoralised Imanol Alguacil’s squad.

But they returned with a bang at Anoeta against Atletico Madrid on Matchday 4, ending Los Rojiblancos’ 100% record with a 2-0 triumph courtesy of goals from the impressive Martin Odegaard and Nacho Monreal.

The result shuffled Sociedad up to 7^th in the La Liga table, where they sit 10 places above this Sunday’s hosts. Nonetheless, only three points separate the sides at this early stage of the season and there shouldn’t be too much between them here based on the 2018/19 campaign and recent encounters.

Espanyol finished just three points ahead of Sociedad last term, when each shared a win apiece from their two league fixtures. The last ten meetings between the pair have produced four wins apiece and two draws, so we should be set for a decent, if slightly unpredictable contest.

Sociedad are clearly in better nick at present, although a paltry sum of just three wins from their last 15 away La Liga matches dampens enthusiasm for backing the visitors.

Similarly, Espanyol can’t be trusted after losing both of their domestic home games this season by a 0-5 aggregate score – dismal efforts that are hardly enhanced by a 1-1 draw against ordinary opposition in midweek.

So with the match betting looking like a no-go, we’re backing both teams to score instead for small stakes. That’s been the outcome in five of the last six meetings between the pair, so odds of around evens rate more than fair.

In the correct score market, we’re tentatively going for 1-1. As mentioned, this should be a tight battle and neither side are completely firing up front with a combined six goals scored in eight league games this term.