Real Sociedad vs Valencia Prediction: Low-scoring affair on the cards

Real Sociedad host Valencia at Anoeta in La Liga on Thursday night (21:00) looking to bounce back from their defeat to Barcelona at the weekend. The loss saw Real Betis snatch sixth place from them which would secure a place in the Europa Conference League qualifiers next season.

They have a gargantuan clash to come with Betis this weekend but with Manuel Pellegrini's side facing the struggling Las Palmas, Real Sociedad could really benefit from a result here. Valencia have failed to win in their last four, so they will see this as a decent opportunity to get more points on the board. Read on for my Real Sociedad vs Valencia predictions.

Real Sociedad vs Valencia Odds

Real Sociedad are 4/7 to win this match, giving them a 63.3% chance of victory. Valencia are 11/2, giving them an implied probability of 15.4%. The draw can be backed at 11/4 (26.7%).

Both teams to score is on offer at 6/5 and over 2.5 goals is the same price. Hugo Duro has scored 13 goals for Valencia in the league this term and he is priced at 100/30 to score anytime, or 17/2 to open the scoring.

Real Sociedad attacker Mikel Oyarzabal has netted nine himself and he is 6/4 to score anytime.

Team News

The hosts have a few injuries to deal with ahead of this clash. Javi Galan, Igor Zubeldia, Carlos Fernandez, Aihen Munoz and Martin Merqualanz. Having missed the last two matches with a muscle problem, Martin Zubimendi is also a doubt to feature.

As for Valencia, they are without the services of Fran Perez, Jaume Domenech, Mouctar Diakhaby and Jesus Vazquez. However, they could be boosted by the return of captain Jose Gaya, who has been sidelined for two months.

Draw and under 2.5 goals @ 16/5

I can't help but feel as though this contest is geared up for a draw. Both sides have European ambitions and although the hosts are better-placed for qualification, Valencia still have an outside shot if they were to end the season strongly and the others around them falter.

The visitors have lost three of their last five but they ended their losing streak with a goalless stalemate with Rayo Vallecano at the weekend. This game is as big for them as it is for Real Sociedad, and with the hosts' form being up and down in recent weeks, I predict a draw could be on the cards.

To boost the odds I have also added under 2.5 goals. This is because Real Sociedad's last three matches have seen less than three goals. It is also worth noting that when these two sides met earlier in the season, Real Sociedad scraped the match 1-0, so I can't imagine a dramatic increase in goals this time around.

Seven of Valencia's last nine La Liga clashes has also seen under 2.5 goals land.

Both teams to score @ 6/5 

Unlike the last meeting, I am expecting both teams to get on the scoresheet here, even if I don't see a high-scoring game taking place. Real Sociedad have conceded in four of their last six league matches on home soil and I think that the pressures of chasing Europe will see them fail to record a clean sheet once again.

And with the pressure on Valencia to make ground on both their hosts and Real Sociedad, they have to make this game count, and so I do see them scoring here,

It's worth noting that BTTS has been a winning bet in 51% (18/35) of their matches this campaign, as well as in 40% (14/35) of Valencia's.

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