Relegation-battling Deportivo Alaves and La Liga top-four bidders Real Sociedad will lock horns at the Estadio Mendizorrotza in their first match of 2022.
It already looks like another season-long fight against the drop for Deportivo Alaves, who waved goodbye to 2021 on a run of six La Liga matches without a win (D2, L4). They head into proceedings languishing in the relegation zone, albeit they are level on points with 17th-placed Elche, highlighting the importance of this fixture. ‘El Glorioso’ will take confidence from going unbeaten in their last six home league meetings with Basque visitors (W5, D1), their best-ever unbeaten such streak in the competition’s history. But to keep that run going, Alaves will have to improve defensively after failing to keep a clean sheet in their last eight La Liga outings in a row, last experiencing a longer such run in the competition in May 2019 (13).
On the other hand, Real Sociedad head into the new year amid a rough patch, having lost their last four La Liga games in a row after going unbeaten in the previous 13 in the competition (W8, D5). Another defeat would see ‘La Real’ lose five top-flight matches on the trot for the first time since April 2011. Though they sit just one point below fourth-placed Rayo Vallecano, a lack of scoring prowess remains the elephant in the room, with Sociedad netting a disappointing average of 1.11 goals per league match this season. Particularly ponderous before half-time on the road, Imanol Alguacil’s men have scored a league-low one first-half goal away from home in the first half of the season. That could be irrelevant here, as they’ve kept Alaves at bay in both previous La Liga H2Hs (W1, D1), including an overwhelming 4-0 triumph in their most recent league meeting in February 2021.
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