Real Sociedad take on FK Vardar Skopje in Spain next week, with the visitors hoping to put up a much better fight than when the two teams last met. The Macedonian minnows are without a single point in Europa League Group L, with just pride left to play for.
Champions League – Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastian – Thursday 2nd November – 21:05 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 11 at PaddyPower |
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Real Sociedad
FK Vardar SkopjeMatch Preview
With two wins in Europe this season, Real Madrid can take a massive stride towards the Europa League knockout stage with a win over Vardar Skopje in San Sebastian on Thursday. The Spanish side dominated proceedings in Macedonia last week, eventually running out 6-0 victors, making them the overwhelming favourites for the upcoming clash at the Anoeta Stadium. Despite this, there are still a range of attractive markets to take advantage of for those looking to place a bet on this clash, with our top betting tip worth checking out. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the home side.
Real Sociedad Team News & Form
Real Sociedad earned a narrow victory over lower league Lleida in the Copa del Rey in midweek, with Eusebio Sacristán’s men having performed fairly well in the Spanish top-flight so far this season, currently sitting in 9th position in the standings. Striker Willian Jose found the back of the net four times in Macedonia last week, with Sociedad not needing to get out of first gear in order to earn all three points. As a result, and with some important domestic fixtures to come, Sacristan may well choose to rest some of his prized assets next week, with the likes of Sergio Canales, Carlos Vela and former Manchester United man Adnan Januzaj all hoping for rare starts. The Spanish side have certainly not found goalscoring a difficulty in Europe this season, with 11 goals from their three matches, meaning that it could well be another long night’s work for the visitors.
FK Vardar Skopje Team News & Form
Skopje currently sit in third position in the Macedonian standings, however their recent defeat at Rabotnički shows that they are a team lacking in confidence heading into their tie with Real Sociedad. Having lost all three Europa League encounters this season, including a heavy defeat against the Spanish side just last week, manager Čedomir Janevski is up against it in trying to find a strategy that will give his side a chance of returning home with anything to show for their efforts. Brazilian midfielder Juan Felipe has scored Skopje’s only goal of the competition so far, with the rest of their team made up of primarily home-grown talent.
Head to Head
Before last week’s clash in Macedona, where the Real Sociedad dominated from the off to run out 6-0 winners, the two teams had never previously met in a competitive fixture. As a result, few conclusions can be made ahead of the reverse fixture.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their dominant display last week and their status as the home team for the upcoming clash, it comes as little surprise that it is Sociedad who are the overwhelming favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers. The home side can be backed at odds of 1/11 with Skybet, while Ladbrokes offer the Macedonian’s as major underdogs, with odds of 40/1.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on Real Sociedad scoring over 3.5 goals, which can be found at best odds of 11/10 at Ladbrokes.