Real Sociedad vs Anderlecht Prediction: Hosts looking to build momentum

Real Sociedad host Anderlecht at Reale Arena in the Europa League on Thursday (17:45, TNT Sports 6), looking to build on their impressive 3-0 victory over Valencia in La Liga at the weekend.

They were held to a point in Europe last week against Nice, so they will be eager to secure their first victory here. Anderlecht were 2-1 winners over Ferencvaros this time last week, so they will want to keep their momentum going as they head to Spain. Read on for my Real Sociedad vs Anderlecht prediction, including match odds and team news.

Real Sociedad vs Anderlecht Odds

Real Sociedad are 4/7 to win this match, giving them an implied probability of 63.6%. Anderlecht are valued at 9/2 to take the three points, which gives them a theoretical chance of 18.2%. The draw is on offer at 11/4 (26.7%).

Both teams to score is available at 1/1 and over 2.5 goals can be backed at 10/11.

Real Sociedad striker Orri Oskarsson has scored twice in La Liga, with both goals coming against Valencia last time out. He is marketed at 7/5 to score anytime, or 4/1 to break the deadlock.

His teammate, Ander Barrenetxea, was on the scoresheet in France last week, and he is 2/1 to find the back of the net at any stage during this contest.

Yari Verschaeren and Kasper Dolberg provided the goals for Anderlecht against Ferencvaros. They are priced at 13/2 and 100/30 respectively to score anytime on Thursday.

Football Odds

Team News 

The hosts are going to be without the services of Arsen Zakharyan and Hamari Traore for this game due to injury. It is hoped that Alvaro Odriozola and Sheraldo Becker will be welcomed back into the matchday squad on Thursday after both missed the Valencia triumph with their own respective physical issues.

Should they be available, they will both be pushing to start this European encounter, while the likes of Jon Pacheco, Aihen Munoz, Brais Mendez and Benat Turrientes will all be hoping for the same - with boss Imanol Alguacil expected to rotate his winning side from the weekend.

Icelandic striker Oskarsson could be in contention to lead the line after netting a brace from the bench in that match.

The visitors have a few big profile absentees themselves in Jan Vertonghen and Thorgan Hazard, while Ludwig Augustinsson and Marco Kana are also unavailable for this contest.

Nilson Angulo was sent off following two yellow cards against Ferencvaros last week, so the midfielder will serve his one-game suspension against Real Sociedad. Further up the pitch, Anders Dreyer returned from a three-game spell on the sidelines to play over an hour at Dender on Saturday. He will be hoping that he will keep his place in the attack for the trip to Spain.

Orri Oskarsson anytime goalscorer @ 7/5

Oskarsson's confidence will be high after his brace at the weekend in a game that his side desperately needed to win. Real Sociedad have had a slow start in La Liga and goals have been hard to come by. They ended a run of five games without a win and this was the first game in which they scored more than one goal.

The Icelandic forward not only raised his own confidence but the whole team's as well with his contributions. He would fully merit a place in the starting lineup on Thursday as a reward for his heroics at the weekend.

It is important for him and his side that he is given game time to build momentum. It's not rocket science - as he's riding high after scoring a brace, he will be considered more likely to find the back of the net while he has his confidence.

This game will be a chance for him and his team to put back-to-back wins together for the first time this season, which could have a huge positive impact on the rest of their season.

Real Sociedad are at home again so the onus will be on them to set the tempo of the match. The Valencia win will give them the confidence to start on the front foot, and Oskarsson will be key to that if he starts.

I think he is worth backing to get on the scoresheet for the second successive game and perhaps help his side get their first three points on the board in the Europa League in 2024/25.

Over 2.5 goals @ 10/11

A flurry of goals have not been seen that much in Real Sociedad matches this term, with just three of their eight La Liga matches seeing over 2.5 goals land. One of them was of course against Valencia as the hosts scored all the goals in the match.

As mentioned above, it was the first time this year in which they had found the back of the net more than once. For the managers and his players, they will feel as though a huge weight has been lifted off their shoulders, and their three-goal showing could perhaps mark a turning point in their season in terms of their attacking pursuits.

With another home game coming up so quickly, the attackers will want to build a rhythm and deliver another performance in which they produce more than one goal. We all know they have more than enough quality within their squad, so goals really shouldn't be an issue for them, so I think we could see them grab a couple in this contest.

I can also see the visitors getting in on the action. Dolberg is no stranger to scoring on the European stage, and he will be looking to score for a second consecutive match in the Europa League. Over 2.5 goals has been a winning selection in three of the Belgian side's nine Jupiler Pro League fixtures this campaign, and we also saw it land last week against Ferencvaros.

Real Sociedad had a good result at the weekend, but it takes more than one game to turn a corner, so they could still be vulnerable. I expect both teams to score in this clash as a result, and I think we will see at least three goals scored.

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