Granada will go in search of their first La Liga win of the season when they welcome Real Sociedad to Los Carmenes on Thursday.
The hosts currently find themselves down in seventeenth after failing to win any of their opening five league games this term (three draws, two losses).
📸 El equipo se ha ejercitado en la Ciudad Deportiva a la vuelta de Barcelona 👉 https://t.co/O9B6QhHo7c? pic.twitter.com/gtdr4TThmN— Granada CF ❤️⚪️ (@GranadaCdeF) September 21, 2021
📸 El equipo se ha ejercitado en la Ciudad Deportiva a la vuelta de Barcelona 👉 https://t.co/O9B6QhHo7c? pic.twitter.com/gtdr4TThmN
At the opposite ending of the standings, fourth-place Real Sociedad have registered three wins, one draw and one loss – and sit seven points clear of Granada.
Granada kicked off their campaign with back-to-back draws before suffering a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Rayo Vallecano. They then lost 2-1 to Betis on Matchday 4.
Despite leading for almost the entirety of their match against Barcelona on Monday, they ended up drawing 1-1 at Camp Nou.
Domingos Duarte gave Granada the lead after just two minutes in Catalonia, yet Ronald Araujo netted a 90th-minute equaliser for Ronald Koeman’s side.
It always looked as though Granada would throw away their lead, however. After all, they finished the game with just 22% possession.
Due to a poor end to the previous campaign, Granada have only managed to win one of their last 12 La Liga outings.
On the flip side, Real Sociedad have made an impressive start to 2021/22 – losing just one of their first six games in all competitions.
To go with their solid La Liga record of one loss in five matches, Sociedad drew 2-2 with PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League last week.
It is also worth noting that Sociedad have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four La Liga games. As a result, they boast one of the best defensive records in the division.
They have also lost just one of their previous eight outings in all competitions, suggesting that Granada will struggle to break them down.
Head-to-head: The two sides have faced each other 18 times since 2011, with Real Sociedad winning exactly half of those games.
Granada have only managed to win one of their last eight meetings with Sociedad, while Sociedad have picked up six wins in that time.
Team news: Granada have just one injury absentee at the moment, with centre-back Neyder Lozano on the sidelines.
Real Sociedad, on the other hand, will be without injured trio Carlos Fernandez, Alexander Isak and Ander Barrenetxea for the midweek clash.
While Granada have failed to get going this season, Sociedad have started the campaign in excellent form. The contrasting fortunes of the two sides should shine through on Thursday.
Forbet predicts that Real Sociedad will score over 1.5 goals on their way to victory, making Granada wait for their first win of the season.