Just days after denying rumors linking him with the FC Barcelona coaching job, Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil has problems to solve at his current club.
Sociedad have won just one of their last seven La Liga matches (1W, 5D, 1L), a run of poor form that has seen them lose ground on the top five. Their grip on the final European place also looks to be slipping, with their home form in particular being a cause for concern.
Osasuna, meanwhile, are drifting away from the top half of the table after a 3-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo, a game in which coach Jagoba Arrasate admitted he was tactically outplayed by Rafael Benítez.
The Reds would surely prefer to be at home, where they have won each of their last four La Liga matches, rather than away, where they have taken just two points from their last seven league games (2D, 5L).
The away form is not good, but it is even worse against Sociedad, who Osasuna have not beaten in any competition since May 2012 (6D, 11L), including 11 matches under current coach Jagoba Arrasate (3D, 8L)!
Players to watch: Sociedad have won each of their last nine La Liga matches in which Brais Méndez has scored, including this fixture in 2022/23. Moi Gómez goes into this match with a wealth of experience of playing against Sociedad, having featured in 19 games against them, including scoring in the reverse fixture.
Hot stat: The last eight La Liga meetings between these two sides have all produced under 2.5 goals.
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