Real Sociedad vs Girona Prediction: Back the home side to win the Second 45

| Friday 12th December 2025, 6:22am

Friday 12th December 2025, 6:22am

We start the gameweek in Spain's top flight at the Anoeta Stadium where the home side are looking at the possibility of heading into the top half of the table, should they give Girona a bit of a thrashing. Premier Sports 2 from 20:00 for UK viewers, who want to watch this one live.

Our La Liga Betting expert Mark Sochon previews the match, provides the team news, match odds and of course his two Best Bets for the action. Let's check out his Real Sociedad vs Girona Predictions here on Betfred Insights...

Real Sociedad vs Girona Betting Tips

Azzedine Ounahi to have 1+ shots on target @ 6/5
Second-half result - Real Sociedad @ 21/20

*odds correct at time of publication

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Two sides who made really poor starts to La Liga clash on Friday night at the Reale Arena. Real Sociedad and Girona have improved since the opening weeks of the campaign, although both suffered setbacks last time out.

The pressure is back on La Real boss Sergio Francisco to some extent following back-to-back league defeats against Villarreal and Alavés. His side have won five of their last eight in all competitions, but two of those victories came in entirely predictable circumstances against lower-league teams in the Copa del Rey.

It's difficult to know what realistic expectations should be for Real Sociedad this season. They finished 11th last term under Imanol Alguacil scoring only 35 goals, which was the joint-third worst record.

Only a fraction of the €70m fee that saw Martín Zubimendi leave to join Arsenal in the summer was reinvested in the team. Therefore, this squad is now a shadow of the one that reached the Champions League knockout phase in the 2023/24 season.

The Basques have always been able to rely on their outstanding youth academy to generate fresh talent. 23-year-old Jon Gorrotxategi has done a reasonably good job of filling the hole left by Zubimendi at the base of the midfield. However, he's in his first year at the top level, while 19-year-old defender Jon Martín is another who is still learning his trade.

Real Sociedad fans will also be hoping that summer additions Carlos Soler and Gonçalo Guedes can continue their recent improvements and deliver on a more consistent basis. Neither could find a breakthrough as their team slumped to a 1-0 derby defeat against Alavés last Saturday.

Girona come into this game on the back of an even heavier loss. They were beaten by newly promoted Elche in another game to forget for goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who made a couple of major errors in a 3-0 defeat.

There were shades of the opening weeks of the season in that Girona performance. The Catalans picked up just one point from their opening five matches, in a run that saw them concede 15 goals, with individual errors frequently proving very costly.

They were very busy late in the transfer window, though. The additions of Azzedine Ounahi and Vladyslav Vanat on deadline day have helped to turn their season around, with the former on target as Míchel's side held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in their last home game.

That result concluded a period that saw Girona lose just two of 10 matches in all competitions. League victories over Valencia and Alavés suggested they were heading in the right direction, as did an excellent performance in a 1-1 draw at Real Betis late last month.

However, the Elche result, which came without the suspended Ounahi, was a major setback. Their lack of depth was also highlighted by a miserable 2-1 defeat against third-tier Ourense in the Copa del Rey just prior to that game.

Team News:

Real Sociedad have badly missed Mikel Oyarzabal in recent weeks. The Spain international is sidelined again with a hamstring injury on Friday. Fellow forward Orri Steinn Óskarsson is also still out, so Guedes may be used as a striker, unless Francisco again opts for Umar Sadiq, who is yet to score in La Liga this term.

Midfielder Yangel Herrera is also injured and will miss out on a reunion with his old club. In better news for the hosts, defensive regular Igor Zubeldia is fit again and could feature.

As for Girona, they'll welcome the influential Ounahi straight back into the team following his ban. Vanat is also expected to be available following an injury scare this week.

However, the visitors are short on depth right now as a result of a number of injuries. Juan Carlos, David López, Donny van de Beek, Portu, Christian Stuani, and Abel Ruiz will all miss this game.

Real Sociedad vs Girona Predicted Lineups

Real Sociedad: Remiro, Aramburu, Martin, Elustondo, Gomez, Kubo, Gorrotxategi, Soler, Guedes, Barrenetxea, Mendez
Girona: Gazzaniga, Frances, Reis, Blind, Moreno, Ounahi, Witsel, Martin, Tsygankov, Vanat, Gil

Real Sociedad vs Girona Odds

Real Sociedad are priced at 8/11 to claim maximum points. You can back Girona to record their first away league win of the campaign at 18/5, while the Draw is priced at 11/4.

You can back Both teams to score at 4/5. That bet has landed in six of the last seven Real Sociedad games in La Liga, and six of Girona's last eight. Over 2.5 goals is on offer at 10/11, while you can back the hosts to score over 1.5 goals at 4/5.

Girona are priced at 5/2 to score over 1.5 goals. Meanwhile, Draw or Girona is on offer at 21/20 in the Double Chance market.

With Oyarzabal sidelined, Guedes may be the most obvious goal threat for the hosts. The ex-Wolves man is available at 11/2 to score first, and 21/10 to score anytime. You can also back Japanese winger Take Kubo to score anytime at 9/5.

From a visiting perspective, Vanat is on offer at 2/1 to score anytime, while you can back Bryan Gil to get on the scoresheet at 5/1.

Real Sociedad vs Girona Stats

Real Sociedad (13.47) have the fourth-best Shots/90 ratio in La Liga, Only behind Real Madrid, Barcelona and Real Betis.
Addedine Ounahi averages 2.48 shots per 90 minutes and 0.91 Shots on Target per game.
Real Sociedad have a very healthy 73% record for BTTS this campaign. Girona have a 71% record for BTTS on their travels.

Bet 1 - Azzedine Ounahi to have 1+ shots on target @ 6/5

Girona's most dangerous attacking threat this season has often come from midfielder Ounahi. The now 25-year-old was a breakout star at the 2022 World Cup with Morocco, and has really kicked on this term since swapping Marseille for the Estadi Montilivi.

Ounahi has scored three goals in his first nine appearances in La Liga. He's had seven shots on target in his last seven games in the Spanish top flight. Up against a Real Sociedad defence that has only kept one clean sheet in the league, I'm backing Ounahi to have one or more shots on target at 6/5.

Real Sociedad vs Girona - Player to Have 1+ Shots on Target

Azzedine Ounahi

6/5

Bet Here

Odds correct at time of publishing.

Bet 2 - Second-half result - Real Sociedad @ 21/20

Girona's strongest lineup now looks to have enough about it to get themselves out of the hole they are in. Veteran midfielder Axel Witsel has added a bit more steel in the centre of the park since his move from Atlético Madrid, and they should be competitive for much of this game.

However, a lack of depth is a genuine worry. Their injury situation will again leave Míchel with few convincing options to turn to if he needs fresh legs after the break. That situation has contributed to Girona being poor in the second half of matches this term.

The Catalans have only scored one away goal in the second 45 minutes, conceding nine times. Real Sociedad by contrast have tended to start slowly and grow into games, with 73% of their home goals coming after the break.

With those trends in mind, I'm backing Real Sociedad in the Second-Half Result market at 21/20.

Real Sociedad vs Girona - 2nd Half Result

Real Sociedad

21/20

Bet Here

Odds correct at time of publishing.

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Mark Sochon P/L 25/26 Season:

Points Staked: 116
Points Returned: 112.46
P/L: -3.54

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...