Espanyol vs Real Sociedad Prediction: Puado to prove pivotal again for Los Periquitos

Two sides who lost their 2024/25 La Liga opener last weekend meet in Cornella de Llobregat on Saturday (20:30, La Liga TV/Premier Sports 1), as Espanyol host Real Sociedad at Stage Front Stadium.

Read below for my Espanyol vs Real Sociedad prediction and all the latest team news and match odds ahead of this fixture.

Team News

Exposito suffered a knee injury nine minutes into Espanyol's 3-2 defeat at Eldense on January 28 and has yet to fully heal, so the 28-year-old will miss out again this weekend.

There appear to be no other injury concerns for head coach Manolo Gonzalez, who could hand starts to the likes of Irvin Cardona, Alex Kral and Alvaro Aguado following their 1-0 loss at Real Valladolid.

Football Odds

Real Sociedad are without 21-year-old Arsen Zakharyan, who hasn't featured since scoring in an end-of-season friendly against Japanese side Tokyo Verdy on May 29, while Alvaro Odriozola is doubtful after missing the defeat to Rayo Vallecano.

Martin Zubimendi, heavily linked to Liverpool this summer before opting to stay in San Sebastian, was introduced at the beginning of the second half on Sunday in place of Urko Gonzalez and looks certain to come into the starting XI this weekend after netting a late consolation at the Reale Arena.

Espanyol vs Real Sociedad Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Espanyol vs Real Sociedad page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Espanyol are 3/1 to win a La Liga match for the first time since May 21, 2023, in a season they were relegated from the Spanish top flight. Those odds give them an implied win probability of 25% on Saturday, while Real Sociedad are 23/20, or 46.5% chance, to triumph.

The draw is available at 2/1, both teams to score at 11/10, and over 2.5 total goals at 6/4.

Javi Puado Anytime Scorer @ 11/4

This is a tricky-looking game to predict, so I'm steering clear of result-based picks.

Instead, my first tip is in the anytime scorer market, where I am backing Espanyol striker Javi Puado to net his first goal of the season.

Puado struck 13 times in the regular 2023/24 La Liga 2 season before adding a further three in Espanyol's play-off campaign. Los Periquitos scored three goals across four games against Sporting Gijon and Real Oviedo, and Puado was responsible for them all as the Catalan club secured an instant return to the top flight.

Martin Branthwaite for the club's top scorer last season with 22 goals but the Dane has since departed for Gremio in Brazil, leaving Puado as the only player left to have scored more than four times in 2023/24, so there is a lot of pressure on the 26-year-old this term.

The Spaniard showed his big-game prowess in the play-offs in June and was the only attacker to play for the duration of last weekend's defeat to Valladolid, so looks like Espanyol's best bet to find the net against Real Sociedad.

In front of a home crowd, Puado should be fired up to prove himself again in La Liga, after he netted seven times in 37 appearances during his last season in the competition.

Getting off the mark against a Europa League club would greatly boost his confidence and could set him up for a great rest of the year.

Saturday's visitors look vulnerable after conceding twice at home to Vallecano last time out, and Puado can take advantage of any uncertainties in their backline, which has been shorn of the services of Robin Le Normand following his summer switch to Atletico Madrid.

Highest Scoring Half - Second Half @ 5/4

This is a safer option than the last but one still worth considering at this early stage of the campaign as it still pays over EVS.

La Real endured a goalless first half at home to Vallecano last Sunday, with the first goal of the game only arriving in the 67th minute through the away side's Jorge de Frutos. Sergio Camello doubled the lead for the visitors in the 84th minute before Zubimendi grabbed a consolation in stoppage time for the hosts.

Events were different for Espanyol as they conceded the only goal of their match against Valladolid midway through the first half. They huffed and puffed in the second period but were left frustrated in their efforts to equalise.

I expect them to try and keep things tight in the first half of Saturday's game against La Real, hoping to avoid another early blow and instead work their way into the game, applying more pressure in the second 45 minutes.

A sluggish start to proceedings followed by a fiery second half is what I'm predicting in this contest.

Offers

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