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Preview: Real Sociedad vs. Granada - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 8 July 2020, 09:48

Two teams in the battle for a top-six finish in Spain's top flight will lock horns on Friday night as Real Sociedad welcome Granada to Anoeta Stadium.

Sociedad are currently seventh in La Liga, two points behind sixth-placed Getafe, while Granada occupy 10th, six points off the second Europa League position in the table.

Match preview

© Reuters

Consistency has been a real issue for Sociedad this season, with the Basque outfit winning 15 but losing 13 of their 34 league matches, in addition to sharing the points on six occasions.

La Real have finished 12th and ninth respectively in their last two campaigns, though, meaning that a top-six position, and a return to Europe, would certainly be considered a success this term.

Imanol Alguacil 's side are currently seventh in the table, two points behind sixth-placed Getafe, while they are also just three points off fifth-placed Villarreal in the battle for the Europa League.

Sociedad's form immediately after lockdown was poor, losing four of their five matches, picking up just a single point in the process.

They have taken four points from their last two La Liga games, though, beating basement side Espanyol at home on July 2 before picking up a point away to mid-table Levante on Monday night.

© Reuters

Granada, meanwhile, will enter this game off the back of a 2-2 draw with Valencia on Saturday night; Diego Martinez 's side were actually 2-1 behind heading into the latter stages of the match, but Fede Vico came up with a late equaliser as the points were shared at Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes.

El Grana secured a return to La Liga for the current season courtesy of finishing second in the Segunda Division last term, while they have not actually finished higher than 15th in La Liga since the 1973-74 campaign.

An impressive season has seen Martinez's team pick up 47 points from their 34 matches, which is enough for 10th position at this stage, four points behind Sociedad and six behind Getafe in sixth.

Granada will need a lot of things to fall their way in order to claim a top-six finish, but they won 2-0 at Alaves in their last away game on July 1 and another victory on Friday night would certainly put them in the argument for a potential Europa League spot.

Sociedad La Liga form: LLLLWD

Granada La Liga form: DLDLWD

Team News

© Reuters

Sociedad remain without a number of first-team players through injury, with Joseba Zaldua, Jon Bautista, Adnan Januzaj, Asier Illarramendi and Luca Sangalli all still on the sidelines.

David Zurutuza is also a doubt with a knock, but the Basque outfit did not pick up any fresh concerns in their 1-1 draw with Levante on Monday night.

Alexander Isak made it two goals in two matches with a strike against Levante, and it seems likely that the 20-year-old will again get the nod in the final third over Willian Jose.

Diego Llorente and Nacho Monreal should return to the back four, meanwhile, with Alguacil expected to shuffle his pack during a vital stage of the season.

As for Granada, Alvaro Vadillo, Maxime Gonalons, Angel Montoro, Alex Martinez, Quini and Neyder Lozano remain on the sidelines through injury.

Martinez has no fresh injury problems, but the head coach is expected to make changes from the side that started against Valencia, with Fede Vico and Antonio Puertas in line to start.

Jesus Vallejo should also return to the heart of the back four, while veteran Spaniard Roberto Soldado is likely to keep his spot at centre-forward.

Sociedad possible starting lineup:

Moya; Gorosabel, Llorente, Elustondo, Monreal; Merino, Zubeldia; Oyarzabal, Odegaard, Portu; Isak

Granada possible starting lineup:

Silva; Diaz, Vallejo, Duarte; Neva, Vico, Herrera, Foulquier; Puertas, Soldado, Fernandez

We say: Real Sociedad 1-1 Granada

Both sides will be determined to boost their top-six hopes with a victory, but we are struggling to separate them on this occasion. Home advantage perhaps makes Sociedad the favourites, but Granada have avoided defeat in nine of their 17 away league matches this season, and we fancy a low-scoring draw here.

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