La Liga, Matchday 32 on Sunday, 20.04.2025 at 16:15
For my Villarreal Real Sociedad tip, I didn’t have to think long about which bet to place.
I expect a really close game here and assume that both teams will score, which is why I’ve decided to bet on both teams scoring.
Merkur Bets has the right odds and I’ll give you the reasons for this bet in the next few lines.
Villarreal has already pretty much secured European qualification. They are eight points ahead of the Conference League spot going into the 32nd matchday – and the Yellow Submarine still has a game in hand to collect more points.
The situation is different for Real Sociedad. After being knocked out of the Europa League by Manchester United in the round of 16, they need to go full throttle in the final phase of the season. They are only ninth after 31 matches. With Real and Barca in the cup final, they can at least add a Europa League spot. But even that has to be achieved first!
Villarreal are still hoping to qualify for the Champions League. A win in their postponed game against Espanyol Barcelona would reduce the gap to Bilbao to three points. So it’s an interesting situation at the moment for the clubs from San Sebastian and Villarreal.
Our betting providers with US licenses see the hosts as clear favorites, with Villarreal at 1.70 before kickoff and Real at around 4.60, with similar odds for a draw (4.00).
I see it as a bit closer, but the double chance X2 is a little too low for me. In the two-way odds range, however, it is still my favorite bet for this match. Villarreal has been particularly prolific away from home, with only five wins in 14 games at home.
In addition, the FC is struggling with its vulnerabilities in its own 16-yard box. 40 goals conceded means the second-highest number of goals conceded in the top half of the table. The 53 goals scored are much more impressive – the third-best tally, shared with Atletico Madrid.
In contrast, San Sebastian has been much less dangerous on the road, scoring just 30 goals. They recently suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Mallorca, which came out of nowhere after victories against Valladolid (2-1) and Las Palmas (3-1).
This was particularly surprising given that the offense had been more reliable in front of goal beforehand, for example in the spectacular cup semi-final second leg against Real Madrid (4-4). Before the defeat against RCD, we saw five matches in a row with both teams scoring.
Villarreal has recently recorded 2-1 victories against Getafe and Betis. In between, they only managed a 0-0 draw against Bilbao in the battle for fourth place in the Champions League. The number of shots on goal also highlights the team’s offensive capabilities.
Villarreal is actually in third place on its own in this respect, and the same applies to shots on goal. However, the defensive statistics are not exactly impressive, which is why I definitely think the visitors will score a goal.
But to be honest, not much more than one, maybe two at most, which brings me to another recommendation that Real Sociedad will score one or two goals. If we throw the corresponding individual odds into the Betano Bet Builder Mixer, we get 1.72.
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Real Sociedad won the first leg 1-0 in a game with few chances. I expect much more from the rematch. There is also more potential in this matchup. In four of the last six direct matches, there have been three or more goals.
It was not uncommon for both teams to score. The fact that Real Sociedad is missing several important players in the defensive center is not bad for goals on Sunday, at least on paper.
Meanwhile, Villarreal have only kept one clean sheet in their last eleven games! That leads me to a odds boost from Bwin.
There, we get a price boost for both teams to score and over 2.5 goals in a package. The total odds have been raised to 2.55.
Conclusion: Villarreal should be able to score a goal or two against a struggling defense. At the same time, San Sebastian desperately needs points in the race for European places – and Real almost always scores against the Yellow Submarine.
I am just as unimpressed by the hosts’ defense this year as I am by their disappointing home record. In a match where I expect both teams to play for the win, I am placing the following bet:
Both teams to score!
