Deportivo Alaves vs Real Sociedad
Estadio de Mendizorroza, Vitoria Gastiez
Thursday, 18-06-2020 @8:30pm
Ref: Santiago Jamie
Real Sociedad looked more than a little ring rusty in their first La Liga fixture back after the postponement when they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to regional rivals Osasuna on Sunday.
Having gone behind on 29 minutes to an Adrián penalty, Real equalized just after the hour mark through Mikel Oyarzabal, though the hosts couldn’t find a successful route to victory in the contest’s final half hour.
With their pursuit of a top four finish hitting a bump, Real travel to take on Basque neighbours Alaves on Thursday evening in another derby duel that could prove to navigate.
Deportivo restarted their 2019/20 campaign in hugely disappointing fashion when they fell to a 2-0 reverse at bottom club Espanyol, however, they have proven a far tougher nut to crack at the Mendizorrotza Stadium this season.
Los Babazorros, thanks largely to their defensive performances, were beaten just three times in 14 La Liga assignments on their own patch between August and March, and Alaves shipped a total of just 11 goals in those matches during the same period.
However, just a handful of the division’s clubs have plundered fewer goals at home than Alaves this term, who are averaging just 1.2 goals per 90 minutes on their own turf in 2019/20.
Unsurprisingly, that combination of robust defending and an underwhelming attacking output has led to a low-number of low-scoring contests at the Mendizorrotza Stadium.
Real Madrid vs Valencia
Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, Madrid
Thursday, 18-06-2020 @11pm
Ref: Jose Sanchez
Even though they were competing in the unusual surroundings of the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium at their training ground, Real Madrid looked comfortably at home in their 3-1 win over Eibar on Sunday.
First-half goals from Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo established a healthy cushion for Los Blancos before the interval, allowing Zinedine Zidane’s side to engage cruise control for the second 45 and keep their pursuit of Barcelona at the summit of the table on track.
The victory was Real’s 10th home triumph in 14 La Liga assignments this season, and only their league-leading Catalan rivals have amassed more points on their own patch overall this term.
Remarkably, Real scored their three goals from just six attempts in total against Eibar, while the visitors were able to rack up nine attempts in response – figures that suggest there should be chances on offer to a much stronger Valencia team on Thursday.
Los Che were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to local rivals Levante in their first match back – a result that put a dent in their quest for a top four finish, though Valencia did at least manage to extend their excellent goal-scoring record this term.
Valencia scored in an impressive 25 of their 28 La Lia fixtures so far this season, and failed to register just five times in 40 competitive fixtures overall since August.
Having watched Real concede in three of their last five home games, the 7th placed Los Murcelagos will back themselves to score on Thursday – though any goal they do plunder will likely be a consolation effort.
Real Madrid conceded at least once in three of their last five home matches. Valencia scored in 25 of their 28 La Liga games this season. Both teams scored in 69% of Valencia’s away games this term. Both teams found the net in each of the last three meetings between these clubs.
The La Liga match-day 29 results so far
Monday, 15-06-2020
-Betis 2-2 Granada
-Levante 1-1 Sevilla
Tuesday, 16-06-2020
-Getafe 0-0 Espanyol
-Villarreal 1-0 Real Mallorca
-Barcelona 2-0 Leganes
Wednesday, 17-06-2020
-Eibar 2-2 Bilbao
-Valladolid 0-0 Celta Vigo
-Osasuna 0-5 Atletico Madrid
