Preview: Real Betis vs. Real Sociedad - prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh off the back of securing their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League, Real Sociedad travel to the Benito Villamarin Stadium to face Real Betis on Sunday.

The hosts, who also progressed to the next round of the Europa League, will be seeking to build on their impressive victory over Barcelona and continue their winning streak in the league.

Match preview

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Real Betis' blistering run of results took a halt last time out when they fell to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Celtic in Group C of the Europa League last Thursday.

With the scores level heading into the closing stages of the game, 22-year-old midfielder David Turnbull calmly converted from 12 yards to hand the Scottish side all three points.

Manuel Pellegrini's men now head home where they picked up their first win over Barcelona in three seasons courtesy of Juanmi's 79th-minute strike on December 4.

Real Betis, who head into Sunday's game on a three-game winning streak in the La Liga, have picked up 30 points from 16 games and are currently third on the log, nine points behind first-place Real Madrid.

Their solid start to the season has been owing to their impressive display away from home, where they boast the division's second-best record with 16 points from eight games.

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Meanwhile, Real Sociedad secured their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League as they claimed an emphatic 3-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven in their group finale last time out.

In a game where Imanol Alguacil Barrenetxea's men needed all three points to secure qualification, Mikel Oyarzabal netted twice to put the hosts in a commanding position before Alexander Sorloth completed the rout in the 93rd minute.

Real Sociedad now turn their attention to the La Liga, where they have failed to pick up a win in any of their last three games, losing twice and claiming one draw since a 2-0 win over Osasuna on November 7.

This slump in form has seen the White and Blues drop to fifth place on the log, level on 29 points with Atletico Madrid in the final Champions League spot.

Team News

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Real Betis playmaker Nabil Fekir was left out of the squad that took on Celtic last time out, but we expect the Frenchman to return to the XI on Sunday.

Pellegrini will be unable to call upon the services of Spanish midfielder Victor Camarasa, who continues his spell on the sidelines after picking up a muscle problem against Villarreal back in October.

He is joined on the club's injury table by 28-year-old defender Youssouf Sabaly, who has been out of action since sustaining a severe injury in pre-season.

Real Sociedad, on the other hand, head into Sunday's game with several issues to contend with down the spine of the team.

The midfield duo of Mikel Merino and David Silva have been sidelined with calf and muscle injuries respectively and will play no part in the game.

In defence, former Arsenal man Nacho Monreal is currently nursing a knee problem, while forward Carlos Fernandez misses out through a muscle injury.

Despite failing to find the target in each of his last four outings, Alexander Isak leads the club's scoring chart with three goals from five games and we expect the 22-year-old to handle business at the attacking end of the pitch, alongside Alexander Solorth.

Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Bellerin, Pezzella, Ruiz, Miranda; Akouokou, Guardado; Lainez, Fekir, Tello; Iglesias

Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Gorosabel, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Rico; Portu, Zubimendi, Guevara, Januzaj; Isak, Oyarzabal

We say: Real Betis 2-1 Real Sociedad

Both sides find themselves in the upper echelons of the La Liga standings after an impressive start to the season. Real Betis, who have won their last three league games on the spin, head into the game as the more in-form side and we are tipping them to come away with all three points, albeit by a narrow margin.

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