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La Liga | Gameweek 2
Aug 22, 2021 at 4pm UK
Estadio Anoeta
RV

Real Sociedad
1 - 0
Rayo Vallecano

Oyarzabal (68' pen.)
Isak (86'), Pacheco Dozagarat (90'), Le Normand (90+5')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Trejo (26'), Comesana (55'), Balliu (66'), Garcia (90+1'), Iraola (90+2')

Preview: Real Sociedad vs. Rayo Vallecano - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Real Sociedad vs. Rayo Vallecano - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Sunday's La Liga clash between Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Both looking to bounce back from defeats on the opening day, Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano will do battle in La Liga action on Sunday.

The two sides faced tough tests in the first round of fixtures, as the hosts were beaten 4-2 by Barcelona while the visitors made the trip to Sevilla and fell to a 3-0 defeat.


Match preview

Under the management of Imanol Alguacil, Real Sociedad had a strong campaign last time around, eventually finishing in fifth spot as they won five of their last seven games to keep Real Betis at bay.

That saw their improvement continue having finished in ninth and six spots in the previous two campaigns, while they also prevailed in the 2019-20 Copa del Rey final in April of last campaign, with a Mikel Oyarzabal goal on the hour mark firing Los Txuri-Urdin to a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao following the postponement due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

However, Alguacil's side did not get off to an ideal start this season, having been handed the tough task of a trip to Barcelona on the opening day, with the clash finishing 4-2 to the hosts.

An early Gerard Pique goal and a Martin Braithwaite brace saw the 26-time La Liga champions take a three-goal lead, but Julen Lobete and Oyarzabal found the net within the final 10 minutes to give their side a chance, only for Sergio Roberto to put the game out of sight in injury time.

They will now hope to bounce back and put their first victory on the board at the second time of asking, as they play host to newly-promoted Rayo Vallecano.

In a mixed campaign in Spain's second tier last year, Rayo Vallecano held onto a playoff spot for the majority of the second half of the season.

While they dropped out of the top six in the final stretch of the campaign, Andoni Iraola's side produced three straight victories to sneak back into sixth spot, before progressing to the playoff final thanks to a 5-1 aggregate win over third-placed Leganes.

That saw them meet Girona in the final with a spot in La Liga on the line, and after falling to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg, Iraola's men fought back with Alvaro Garcia and Oscar Trejo firing them to a 2-0 win to seal promotion.

To begin life back in the top flight, they made the trip to take on Sevilla and would suffer a 3-0 defeat to immediately sink to the foot of the division as Youssef En-Nesyri converted an early penalty before Erik Lamela came off the bench to net a second-half brace and put the game out of sight.

Real Sociedad La Liga form:
  • L

Rayo Vallecano La Liga form:
  • L

Team News

Real Sociedad face several selection concerns, as Nacho Monreal, Carlos Fernandez and Diego Rico are all out of action, while Igor Zubeldia will also struggle to make the squad.

However, exciting forward Alexander Isak is set to return from his injury, and he should offer plenty of quality going forward after an impressive campaign last season and a series of eye-catching performances at Euro 2020.

He will be supported by winger Mikel Oyarzabal, who opened his account for the season in the defeat to Barcelona after registering 11 goals and eight assists in La Liga last season.

Rayo Vallecano are without first-choice goalkeeper Luca Zidane, who will serve a suspension after a red card on the opening day, meaning Stole Dimitrievski will start between the sticks.

Esteban Saveljich and Jose Pozo are also doubts, although they may be fit to make the starting XI after coming through injuries over the summer.

Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Gorosabel, Elustondo, Normand, Munoz; Zubimendi; Oyarzabal, Merino, Silva, Portu; Isak

Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Balliu, Saveljich, Catena, F Garcia; Valentin, Comesana; Palazon, Trejo, A Garcia; Nteka


We say: Real Sociedad 2-1 Rayo Vallecano

Real Sociedad looked poor at the back in their opening defeat to Barcelona, but they should have enough going forward to overcome the newly-promoted outfit on Sunday.

The visitors were comfortably defeated in their first game back in the top flight, and they face another tough test and could again be seen off by another side pushing for the top six.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data




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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona13110240122833
2Real Madrid1283125111427
3Atletico MadridAtletico137511971226
4Villarreal127322319424
5Osasuna136341720-321
6Athletic Bilbao135531913620
7Real BetisBetis135531412220
8Real Sociedad135351110118
9Mallorca135351010018
10GironaGirona135351617-118
11Celta Vigo135262022-217
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15AlavesAlaves134181422-813
16Las PalmasLas Palmas133371622-612
17Getafe13175811-310
18Espanyol123181122-1110
19Real ValladolidValladolid132381025-159
20Valencia11146817-97
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