Thursday 21/08/2014, 20:30, Europa League Qualifiers, Real Sociedad vs Krasnodar

Real Sociedad vs Krasnodar Preview

The Russian championship has begun and Krasnodar is one of the better teams, with eight points after four games and they currently sit in the fifth place. Without being a candidate for the title, they hope to play in the Europa League Qualifiers again, while the first priority is to make the group stage. In order to make it that far, they will need to win the double legged round with Real Sociedad and they start as huge underdogs in Spain.

Real Sociedad vs Krasnodar Odds

At Ladbrokes

Real Sociedad 1.80, Draw 3.50, Krasnodar 3.20

Real Sociedad vs Krasnodar Tips

Krasnodar has the advantage of playing plenty of games over the last couple of weeks and much to their credit, the undefeated streak goes back to late April. They were defeated by Lokomotiv Moscow but except for that fixture, they greatly improved their defenses and denied opponents a chance to score too many goals.

This is exactly the kind of strategy that the visiting team will resort to tonight, knowing that Real Sociedad is particularly dangerous on counterattacks. If they happen to score a goal on the road, it would only help their mission, but what the Russians hope for is to prevent the hosts from scoring.

Real Sociedad used to be a formidable team when having the support of their fans, but last season they failed to take advantage of home pitch. As a result, they are no longer playing for a place in the Champions League groups and will have to settle for the second European competition.

Even so, motivation is at its highest and the Spanish side has already caused the untimely elimination of Aberdeen in the previous round. They scored a total of five goals and kept a clean sheet at home, a performance that they will try to replicate against Krasnodar. They were not particularly successful against British teams in friendly games, losing to both Chelsea and Newcastle in early August.

Key Facts

• Real Sociedad who won just two of the last seven friendly games, but six of them were played on the road
• Krasnodar hasn't lost in the last nine games and allowed goals in only two matches.

Real Sociedad vs Krasnodar Prediction

Krasnodar has the advantage of already playing a handful of official games, whereas the Spanish side only competed in friendly games. Don't let this change your mind and trust Real Sociedad to prevail tonight at odds of 1.80 with Ladbrokes. At the end of the day, form is temporary but class is permanent and the hosts are clearly the more experienced side in the decisive stages of European competitions.

Bet: Real Sociedad @ 1.80 with Ladbrokes