Espanyol vs Real Sociedad La Liga 9/22/19 Preview

RCD Espanyol hosts Real Sociedad on September 22, 2019 at the RCDE Stadium.

RCD Espanyol

Reial Club DeportiuEspanyol was founded in 1800 and is owned by the Rastar Group. This club has been known for its mediocrity but in a surprise, it finished in 7th place during the last La Liga season.

Espanyol has won the Copa del Rey a total of four times and they finished as runners-up in five other instances. The Perequitos have not won the La Liga but were Segunda Division champions in 1994. When it comes to European competition, Espanyol was twice runners-up of the UEFA Cup.

RCD Espanyol rank 19th in the league in Goal Difference at -4 goals. They have scored a total of two goals this season and are 17th in scoring. Espanyol has allowed six goals on the season, putting them in a tie for 12th in the La Liga. The club is also ranked 17th in the league in assists.

Forward Facundo Ferreyra and Midfielder Esteban Granero own RCD Espanyol’s two goals this season. Chinese midfielder Wu Lei delivered the team’s only assist of the season while goalkeeper Diego Lope has given up six goals with eight saves in four appearances this year.

Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad was founded in 1909 and were also among the founding members of the La Liga in 1929. They spent their longest spell in the top flight from 1967-2007 or a period of 40 years. This is a club which won the La Liga twice and in back to back years from 1981-82. They finished as runners-up three times, the last of which was in 2002/003.

They also won the Copa de Rey in 1909 and 1987 while finishing as runners-up in five other instances. They have competed in the UEFA Champions League twice and during the 2003/04 season, they reached the round of 16 before falling to Lyon. Real Sociedad finished 9th in the previous La Liga season, one ahead of their rivals.

Real Sociedad’s Goal Difference of +1 is ranked 7th in the La Liga. They are also ranked 10th in scoring with a total of four goals and are tied for 4th with a total of three goals conceded this term. Real Sociedad ranks 12th in the league with 12 assists on the season.

Midfielder Martin Odegaard leads the team with two goals in four matches played. Defender Nacho Monreal and Forward Mikel Oyarzabal have scored one goal each for the club. Midfielders Portu and Mikel Merino have one assist each while goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya has recorded 14 saves and has conceded only three goals in four appearances.

Who Wins?

RCD Espanyol is 1-1-2 SU on the season and are ranked 17th in the La Liga ladder. They head to this matchup coming off a victory over SD Eibar. On the other hand, Real Sociedad are the 7th ranked team in the Spanish Primera Division with a record of 2-1-1 SU on the season. Real Sociedad defeated Atletico Madrid 2-0 in their most recent match played and they are the soccer betting favorites to beat RCD Espanyol in this contest.

Head to head, these clubs have played in a total of 34 matches. Real Sociedad leads the series with 14 wins while RCD Espanyol has 10 victories and these teams have played to a draw in 10 other matches. Espanyol has won two out of the last three meetings between these teams, including a 2-0 win last May 18, 2019 in their most recent matchup.

Both these teams have been very competitive against each other and both have yet to really go off this season. Real Sociedad beat La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid in their last match played and I think they will carry the momentum of that victory to this contest. Espanyol also heads to this matchup fresh off a win over SD Eibar but overall, I think Real Sociedad has played better this season. Prediction: Real Sociedad

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