Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid 6/21/20 LaLiga Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Real Sociedad is welcoming Real Madrid to Reale Arena in a derby match of round 30 in Spanish LaLiga.

Real Sociedad is playing some of the best soccer in LaLiga this season, but they are having trouble catching a good form since the season was restarted. In their last two games, Sociedad has one loss and one draw, 2 conceded goals, and only 1 scored goal. The good news for Real Sociedad is that they have qualified for the Copa del Rey finals where they will face Athletic Bilbao. We don’t have the date for that match yet. In their latest LaLiga game against Alaves on the road, Sociedad was the better team with 66% of ball possession, but only 1 shot on goal, 6 corner kicks, and 80% of the correct passes.  Sociedad had everything except precision in this match, and, in the end, Sociedad has lost this match 2-0. So far this season, Real Sociedad has scored 46 goals, which is really good, and their defense hasn’t been that bad with 36 conceded goals, but Sociedad is struggling a bit, but so are many other teams after this hiatus. Jose and Ozaryabal have each scored 9 goals for Sociedad this season, while Portu and Isak added 7 goals each. Guevara, Sangalli, Illaramendi, and Barrenetxea are all injured. The Champions League is not far for Sociedad, only 2 points away, and the good news for Sociedad is that they are not any worse than Atletico Madrid, Getafe, or Villarreal who are also in the hunt.

Real Madrid has been demonstrating their power since the season restarted and they won both of their games while scoring 6 goals and conceding only 1 goal. Real Madrid has something this season they haven’t had in years in LaLiga, and that is the best defense with only 20 conceded goals in 29 games. Their offense hasn’t been at their usual level, but Real still scored 55 goals. With 62 points, Real is in second place, 3 points behind Barcelona at the top. Benzema is playing some of his best soccer in years and has scored 16 goals and added 6 assists for Real Madrid this season, while Ramos added 6 goals. Nacho, Vazquez, Jovic, and Diaz are all injured and will not be playing in this game. In their last match against Valencia, Real Madrid was brilliant with 63% of ball possession, 14 shots on target, 8 corner kicks, and high 91% of the correct passes. Real Madrid has won this game 3-0, and Eden Hazard has finally contributed, he had an assist for Real’s first goal. To be clear, I’m not a Real Madrid fan, and I kind of hate everything they represent, but I have to admit that their defense has been mighty impressive this season and they are more competitive in LaLiga than they have been in years.

Sociedad has had some success against Real Madrid at home, and maybe it’s the time for them to finally win a game, but I’m just not sure that is going to happen against Real Madrid, a team in a fantastic form and with the best defense in Spain.