Real Sociedad vs. Napoli 10/29/20 UEFA Europa League Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Real Sociedad is welcoming Napoli to Reale Arena in round 2 in the UEFA Europa League.

Real Sociedad is playing really well as of late, and they are on a 4-game winning streak. Sociedad is in 1st place in LaLiga standings with 14 points, 14 scored goals, and only 3 conceded goals in 7 games. During this stretch, Sociedad has scored 11 goals while conceding only 1 goal. Real Sociedad has beaten Huesca in their last LaLiga game at home. In their first Europa League match, Sociedad was playing against Rijeka on the road, and they were the dominant team with 66% of ball possession, 6 shots on goal, 13 corner kicks, 4 big chances created, and a solid 84% of the correct passes. Sociedad was struggling in this game, but they were able to win this match 0-1 by a goal in the 93rd minute of the game. Bautista is the only goalscorer for Sociedad as of right now with 1 goal, while Merino added 1 assist. Sola and Illarramendi are the only two injured players for Real Sociedad. A great defense is a key thing for Sociedad so far this season, and because of that, they are playing great soccer in the attacking end. Sociedad is at the top of LaLiga at the moment, but we will see if they can stay consistent while playing in two big competitions.

Napoli is playing well in Serie A, and they have 4 wins and 1 loss so far, while they also lost their first Europa League game last week. Napoli was the dominant team in that match with massive 73% of ball possession, 6 shots on goal, 7 corner kicks, 1 big chance created, and high 91% of the correct passes. Despite all of their dominance in this game, Napoli was struggling massively with finishing their chances, and they weren’t able to score a goal. In the 57th minute, Napoli has conceded a goal, and they ended up losing this match 0-1 at home. In Serie A, Napoli is in 2nd place with 11 points, 14 scored goals, and 5 conceded goals so far. Llorente and Malcuit are injured, while Milik is not eligible to play in the Europa League. I like Napoli, and I think they are playing well-balanced soccer with the focus on their midfield, but they lack consistency when it comes to scoring goals. There are enough games left in the Europa League for Napoli to get to one of the top two spots, but they need to get back on the winning track, or even get a draw from this game.

Sociedad and Napoli have never met each other in the past. Sociedad is in great form, and while Napoli is not in great form, it would be wrong to say they are in bad form. I have a feeling we won’t see a lot of goals here, and I’m being drawn towards the draw.