The Matchday 1 clash in La Liga between Valencia and Real Sociedad will take place on August 16 at the Mestalla Stadium. Valencia vs. Real Sociedad: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Valencia
Valencia finished last season in 12th place. The team could have achieved better results and even secured a spot in European competitions if they hadn't faltered in the first half of the season. After 19 rounds, Valencia had only 2 wins. In the second half of the season, with new coach Carlos Corberan, the team secured 9 wins, 6 draws, and only 4 losses. It's also worth noting that in the 2024/25 La Liga season, Valencia conceded 54 goals, marking their worst defensive record in the last 8 years. Before the start of the new season, the club played 5 friendly matches, securing 2 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses.
This summer, the club sold defenders Christian Mosquera and Yarek Gasiorowski. Additionally, first-choice goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and midfielder Enzo Barrenechea returned to their clubs.
- The team has not lost in 11 of their last 13 league matches (6 wins and 5 draws).
- No more than two goals have been scored in 6 of Valencia's last 8 La Liga games.
- In their last 10 home matches in La Liga, Valencia won 7 times (1 draw and 2 losses).
Predicted lineup for Valencia (4-3-3)
Stole Dimitrievski – Cesar Tárrega, José Luis Gayà, Mouctar Diakhaby, Dimitri Foulquier – Javi Guerra, André Almeida, Pepelu – Diego López, Hugo Duro, Sergi Canós.
Real Sociedad
The Basque side finished the league one step ahead, surpassing Valencia on tiebreakers. The team battled for a Europa League spot for most of the season but managed only 1 win in their last 8 games (2 draws and 5 losses). Notably, during this final stretch, Real Sociedad failed to score in 6 matches. Their weak attacking performance (35 goals) led to an 11th place finish in the standings. In the last La Liga season, only two clubs scored fewer goals than Real Sociedad. They also struggled in preseason friendlies, failing to win any of their 4 matches (2 draws and 2 losses).
In July, the team appointed a new head coach, Sergio Francisco, who previously worked with their reserve team. Among their acquisitions, they signed forward Gonçalo Guedes. However, the club lost their main defensive midfielder, Martín Zubimendi, who transferred to Arsenal.
- The club conceded first in 6 of their last 8 La Liga games.
- Real Sociedad lost 8 of their last 11 away league matches (1 win and 2 draws).
- At least 3 goals were scored in 7 of Real Sociedad's last 9 away La Liga matches.
Predicted lineup for Real Sociedad (4-3-3)
Alejandro Remiro – Hamari Traoré, Javi López, Igor Zubeldia, Aritz Elustondo – Luka Sučić, Pablo Marín Tejada, Brais Méndez – Ander Barrenetxea, Takefusa Kubo, Mikel Oyarzabal.
Valencia vs. Real Sociedad: Match Prediction
In the upcoming match, I favor the hosts. After the managerial change, Valencia's performance improved significantly, and they came close to securing a European spot by the end of the season. On the other hand, Real Sociedad struggled in the second half of the season, and despite changing their coach this summer, they continued to underperform in friendlies.
Valencia is in much better form. Additionally, in their last 6 home La Liga matches, they secured 4 wins, 1 draw, and only lost to Athletic Bilbao. Meanwhile, Real Sociedad enters the first round with a 3-match losing streak in La Liga, all without scoring. Furthermore, they consistently face challenges at Mestalla, having secured only 1 win in their last 8 league visits to this stadium (4 draws and 3 losses).
My prediction – Valencia with a handicap (0)
