Villarreal vs Real Sociedad – News and Probable Lineups

The Estadio de la Ceramica will host an engaging La Liga fixture on Friday night, featuring Villarreal against Real Sociedad.

Currently, Villarreal sits in fourth place in the La Liga standings, trailing third-placed Atletico Madrid by two points, while Real Sociedad ranks seventh, three points adrift of sixth-positioned Celta Vigo.

Match overview

Villarreal boasts a record of 17 victories, four draws, and seven losses from their 28 league outings this campaign, accumulating 55 points which places them fourth in the league, just two points behind Atletico Madrid and 11 points ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis.

Marcelino’s squad finds itself in a strong position to secure a spot in the Champions League for the 2026-27 season.

The Yellow Submarine will come into this match following a 1-1 draw with Alaves, which followed a 2-1 home victory against Elche.

At home this season, Villarreal has been formidable, earning 34 points from 14 matches, with a total of 11 wins.

In their earlier encounter this season, Villarreal triumphed 3-2 over Real Sociedad, although their previous meeting last season ended in a 2-2 draw.

Real Sociedad has only managed to secure 15 wins from their last 52 meetings with Villarreal in all competitions, with their most recent away victory against the Yellow Submarine occurring in December 2023.

The Basque team will arrive at this fixture following a 3-1 victory over Osasuna, which leaves them sitting seventh in the La Liga standings with 38 points.

Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side is merely three points behind sixth-placed Celta Vigo, keeping them very much in contention for a European spot as the season approaches its conclusion.

However, La Real has recorded only three wins in their 14 away league matches this season, which will need to improve if they hope to return to European competition for the 2027-28 season.

Mikel Oyarzabal has had good fortune against Villarreal, netting five goals in previous encounters, and he is expected to lead the line for Real Sociedad once more.

Villarreal La Liga form:

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Real Sociedad La Liga form:

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Real Sociedad form (all competitions):

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Team News

Once again, Villarreal will be without Logan Costa, Pau Cabanes, and Juan Foyth due to injury for Friday’s match, while Ayoze Perez remains a significant doubt.

Nicolas Pepe was the standout performer for Villarreal in the last encounter against Alaves and is likely to continue alongside Georges Mikautadze in attack.

There might be a modification on the left side for the Yellow Submarine, as Alberto Moleiro could be introduced, potentially pushing Alfonso Pedraza back into a more defensive role.

For Real Sociedad, Benat Turrientes is suspended after receiving a yellow card during the recent match against Osasuna.

In addition, Takefusa Kubo, Alvaro Odriozola, Aihen Munoz, and Inaki Ruperez are all sidelined due to injuries.

Yangel Herrera is also a notable doubt after being substituted shortly after coming on against Osasuna, which may necessitate a change in formation, with Luka Sucic likely to be brought into the lineup as Turrientes’ replacement.

Villarreal probable starting XI:

Luiz Junior; Mourino, Navarro, Marin, Pedraza; Buchanan, Comesana, Gueye, Miller; Pepe, Mikautadze

Real Sociedad probable starting XI:

Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Caleta-Car, Gomez; Barrenetxea, Mendez, Sucic, Soler, Guedes; Oyarzabal

This match has all the ingredients for a captivating encounter, and it is challenging to differentiate between the two sides ahead of Friday night. Villarreal may benefit from their home advantage, yet it seems likely that Real Sociedad will be capable of securing at least a point here.