It’s sixth against fifth in La Liga on Friday night, as Real Sociedad welcome Real Betis to the Reale Arena. The winner of this clash will gain a huge advantage in the race for a top-four finish.
Sociedad find themselves sixth in the table. With a six-point gap between them and seventh-place Villarreal, they have all but secured European football for next season.
🔜 Próximo reto🆚 Real Betis🏟 Reale Arena🗓 Viernes⏰ 21:00🆙 AURRERA REALA!!! pic.twitter.com/znerrH1k9O— Real Sociedad Fútbol (@RealSociedad) April 11, 2022
🔜 Próximo reto🆚 Real Betis🏟 Reale Arena🗓 Viernes⏰ 21:00🆙 AURRERA REALA!!! pic.twitter.com/znerrH1k9O
Meanwhile, Betis occupy fifth place. Not only are they two points clear of Sociedad, but they are also one point behind fourth-place Atletico Madrid.
Sociedad head into Friday’s clash on a four-game unbeaten streak in La Liga, having dispatched Alaves, Espanyol and Elche. They also held Sevilla to a goalless draw before the international break.
When you look at the bigger picture, La Real have lost just two of their previous 13 league games – picking up seven wins and four draws along the way.
Sociedad have been particularly strong on home soil recently. Indeed, they have avoided defeat in 22 of their past 26 home games in La Liga.
It is also worth noting that Sociedad have kept a clean sheet in each of their last six home games in La Liga, avoiding defeat on every occasion.
Like Sociedad, Betis have also picked up three wins and one draw from their past four league games – beating Bilbao, Osasuna and Cadiz in the process.
Having won seven of their previous 11 La Liga encounters, Betis remain in contention for a Champions League spot.
Unfortunately for Sociedad, Betis have been strong on their travels of late – losing just one of their past 11 away matches across all competitions.
Only three teams – Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid – have scored more La Liga goals than Betis this season.
Head-to-head: Real Sociedad have only managed to win one of their previous six meetings with Betis in all competitions.
Interestingly, Betis have claimed back-to-back 4-0 wins in this fixture – beating Sociedad in La Liga last year before beating them in the Copa del Rey in February.
Team news: Sociedad look set to be without the injured quartet of Carlos Fernandez, Nacho Monreal, Ander Barrenetxea and Mikel Oyarzabal on Friday.
Betis have just one injury concern at the moment, as right-back Martin Montoya continues to recover from an achilles problem.
With so much at stake, Friday’s showdown is destined to be a close-fought battle between two evenly matched teams.
Given that both sides will be eager to avoid defeat, Forebet predicts that Real Sociedad and Betis will play out a goalless draw.