Granada CF - Real Sociedad predictions and free betting tips [09/03/2024]

Today Granada will host Real Sociedad in the 28th round of the Spanish Primera. The visitors have slipped to seventh position in the league table, two points behind sixth-place Betis, whereas Granada are languishing in the relegation zone having come to terms with the imminent downgrading.

Granada

Preserving a place in the elite Spanish division is becoming more unreachable for the reigning Segunda champions, who are trailing 10 points behind the safe 17th position. Almería, Granada, and Cadiz, the three teams in the relegation zone, show no signs of life. The hosts have been without a win in La Liga for seven rounds in a row, suffering four defeats and three draws. The latest setback occurred last weekend when the red-and-whites lost 5:1 to Villarreal. This defeat ended a streak of three draws against Las Palmas (1:1), Barcelona (3:3) and Almería (1:1). It is worth noting that the hosts have amassed 12 of their 14 points at home in front of their supporters. 

Disqualified due to accumulated yellow cards in the previous round, crucial midfielder Gumbau (three assists this season) should return to action on Saturday night. Jesus Vallejo (on loan from Real Madrid for the season) suffered a serious injury and is Granada's only absentee. Uzuni (seven goals in La Liga, 23 last season) and Lucas Boyé (three goals) will without doubt start in the forward line, although the team deeply miss talented Brian Zaragoza (six goals in the first half of the season), who moved to Bayern in January. Bruno Mendes might appear in the centre-back position, while Theodore Corbeanu, who scored against Villarreal, will take his position on the left wing.

Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad's Champions League campaign concluded on Tuesday night in San Sebastián, where the Basques were beaten 1:2 by PSG. Unlike the first match, where Parisians struggled to break Sociedad's compact defence for 60 minutes, in the second leg, the white-and-blues looked far more lethargic. Yet, this was expected given Sociedad’s form has drastically dipped in winter: Mallorca, a team struggling near the relegation zone, knocked Sociedad out of the Copa del Rey semi-finals. For Imanol Alguacil's side, the final task this season will be a top-six finish in the league to secure European football yet again. Going into the 28th round, Real Sociedad are lying seventh in the league having suffered two consecutive defeats: firstly against Villarreal (1:3), and then against Sevilla last weekend (3:2).

The next two matches for the visitors are against relegation-threatened Granada and Cadiz, an opportunity perhaps to rectify the situation. Moreover, Sociedad have the fourth-best away record in La Liga this season (20 points in 14 matches). To add to their woes, the club's treatment room is overflowing: left-back Munoz is out for the rest of the season; Odriozola (ruptured cruciate ligament) and Merquelanz (and Carlos Fernandez (recent meniscus surgery)) are unlikely to recover before summer. Elustondo's participation in the match is a major question mark, while Pacheco serves a suspension for accumulated yellow cards. Japanese star Kubo (seven goals, three in La Liga), team captain Oyarzabal (eight goals in the league) and Mikel Merino (three goals, three assists in the league) will start and will be in charge of the creative unit in attack.

Head-to-head

Granada lost all three recent matches against Real Sociedad, including a 5:3 rout in the first round earlier this season.

Match Forecast Granada vs Real Sociedad

In recent weeks, the Basques' form has been a significant disappointment to their fans for a variety of reasons: a congested fixture list, lots of injuries, and a general dip in the team's performance. Granada still have a theoretical chance of survival, but for that, the hosts need to amass as many points as possible. Given the hosts' superior physical preparedness, it makes sense to go for an underdog handicap of +1.