🏏 Sun, 17 May 2026 19:00 CEST
Real Sociedad
vs
Valencia
4-2-3-1 vs 4-4-2
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- A mid-table showdown between 8th-place Sociedad (45 points) and 11th-place Valencia (43 points). Sociedad have gone D-L-D-D-D in their last five, with four straight draws keeping a win at arm's length. With 55 goals scored and 55 conceded for a goal difference of zero, their record is balanced. Valencia drew 1-1 at home with Rayo on matchday 36 and sit 11th on 43 points, just one point ahead of 12th-place Osasuna in a delicate position.
- The two sides met on the opening matchday at Valencia, finishing 1-1. Both failed to take their chances in a tight contest. Sociedad have produced high-scoring games such as the 3-3 away at Rayo on matchday 32 and the 2-2 home draw with Betis on matchday 35, but their defensive frailty has been exposed. Valencia have struggled for goals with 39 in 36 games, the 19th-best attack in the league.
- Japan international Takefusa Kubo (No. 14, born 4 June 2001) starts on the bench. His greatest weapons are precise dribbling and final passes from his left foot, and he has loan experience at Real Madrid, Mallorca, Villarreal and Getafe. Former Spain captain Mikel Oyarzabal (No. 10, born 21 April 1997) also waits on the bench. He is a left-footed lead striker who scored the winning goal in the EURO 2024 final.
- Sociedad set up in a 4-4-2, with a tall pairing of Iceland international forward Orri Oskarsson (born 29 August 2004, 186cm) and Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez (born 7 January 1997, 187cm, formerly of Celta) leading the line. In midfield, Arsen Zakharyan (born 26 May 2003, formerly of Dinamo Moscow), hailed as a Russian gem, and Carlos Soler (born 27 January 1992), facing his former club after over a decade at Valencia, provide creativity.
- Valencia line up in a 4-2-3-1, with Spanish forward Hugo Duro (born 10 November 1999, formerly of Real Madrid and Getafe) as the lone striker. He is a hard-working striker who was the team's top scorer with 13 goals in 2023-24. In the No. 10 role is Javi Guerra (born 13 May 2003, 187cm), a Valencia academy product who also has experience in Villarreal's youth setup, leading a youthful attack.
- With the two teams between them on four straight draws and a win at arm's length, who can break the spell is the question in this fixture. Sociedad are keeping their two trump cards Takefusa Kubo and Oyarzabal in reserve on the bench, and they are expected to be introduced depending on how the game flows. Valencia, looking to break their scoring drought of 39 goals, will need tactics to exploit gaps in the home Sociedad defence.