Villarreal were fighting on three fronts prior to Tuesday night’s elimination from the Copa del Rey by Sevilla. Coach Juan Carlos Garrido will feel that his side have been knocked out of the least important of their trio of objectives and will be happy to start focussing on the Primera Division encounter against Real Sociedad.
At El Madrigal this season, Villarreal have been irreproachable. Only Valencia have managed to avoid defeat at the venue, and even los Che only managed to earn a point. Off the back of this excellent record, the Yellow Submarine have installed themselves as La Liga’s third force, marginally ahead of their near neighbours.
Even with a depleted squad, Garrido managed to lead his side to a 4-2 success against Osasuna last weekend, though a weakened team crumbled 3-0 against los Nervionenses in midweek. Having fallen behind early in a match they realistically needed to win, Villarreal were sunk early in the second period, when their hosts scored twice from corner kicks.
After Tuesday’s game, Garrido was quick to congratulate Sevilla, though he also stressed that he felt the final result was a harsh reflection of his side’s performance. Having rotated his squad for the clash, it was made clear that the Copa was not his priority, so expect to see yellow-clad players frothing at the mouth eager to get their teeth back into the league campaign come the weekend.
Bad Streak Bust
Last weekend’s 4-0 success over Getafe was a cathartic result for Real Sociedad, whose poor run of form had threatened to undermine much of the good work they did earlier this season. Four successive losses over the Christmas period were certainly awkward for la Real, but a fantastic evening in the Spanish capital has helped to re-energise the squad, keeping them nine points clear of the red zone.
“We got more than we deserved,” coach Martin Lasarte admitted after the game, clearly aware that Mikel Aranburu’s unlikely late brace gave the full-time result a rather flattering complexion from the point of view of the Basques. “We've always talked about the goal, which is to ascend. There is room to grow. The result was a very good one with which to go into the second round of games, and we will try to stay in peace.”
Not only will an array of goals please the coach, but the fact his side managed to keep a clean sheet will have been equally satisfying. At times this term Real Sociedad have leaked goals at an alarming rate, so shutting the opposition out for the first time in five games must be deemed satisfying.
Though the San Sebastian club lose a lot of games – more than two of the sides in the bottom three – the fact they tend to win the others means that they are unlikely to be sucked into great danger. On the other hand, an ability to grind out a draw would be a useful attribute travelling to somewhere like El Madrigal, where the hosts are so dominant.
TEAM NEWS
Villarreal
Juan Carlos faces another month on the sidelines after picking up a problem in a Copa del Rey tie against Sevilla a fortnight ago. Marcos Senna and Nilmar continue to rehabilitate from surgery, while Carlos Marchena is nearly ready to return. Santi Cazorla should be fit after missing the last two matches.
Real Sociedad
Zurutuza is banned, and Mikel Gonzalez and Carlos Martinez are both doubtful. Carlos Martin could be back in the squad but is unlikely to play, while Vadim Demidov still waits for his debut. Diego Ifran has made an improvement but isn’t thought likely to feature either.
Prediction
Villarreal will prove that crashing out of the Copa del Rey was a mere blip. The Yellow Submarine will field all of their top players at the weekend and will continue to feel very much at home at El Madrigal by picking up three points against a Real Sociedad team who rarely travel well.
Villarreal 3-1 Real Sociedad 
