Key Facts
- Both teams have 45 points; Real Sociedad is in 10th place, Espanyol in 11th, so the final standings will determine which team avoids relegation.
- After 18 games without a win, Espanyol bounced back with victories over Athletic and Osasuna; Carlos Romero and Kike García scored the decisive goals.
- Real Sociedad has gone seven league games without a win; 60 goals conceded highlight defensive lapses as a major cause for concern.
- Without Javi Puado, who is out with a cruciate ligament injury, Espanyol loses a dangerous winger; Pere Milla and Tyrhys Dolan are expected to provide width.
- The last five head-to-head matches resulted in four Real wins and one draw; Espanyol conceded in every match, but Real’s advantage was rarely in control.
- Although Espanyol is a slight home favorite at around 2.4, Real Sociedad’s streak of five league games in which they’ve conceded after halftime tends to favor halftime markets.
Monchi’s arrival has changed more than just the mood at Espanyol. After two straight wins, survival is assured; Manolo González can even still chase a distant path to Europe, and suddenly the final La Liga matchday feels like a small assessment of where the team stands. At the RCDE Stadium on Saturday, May 23, Espanyol hosts Real Sociedad, which is coming off a cup triumph but also brings with it seven winless league games. Both teams are tied on 45 points, with Real Sociedad in tenth place and Espanyol in eleventh, while Valencia sits just one point ahead of the visitors. The match in August 2025 ended 2-2, but the more recent head-to-head record favors the Basques.
- Venue: RCDE Stadium, Cornella de Llobregat
- Date and time: May 23, 2026, 9:00 PM
- Competition: La Liga (Matchday 38)
The betting market sees Espanyol as slight home favorites, at around 2.4, but the better value lies after the break. Real Sociedad has conceded a goal in the second half in five consecutive league matches, while Espanyol usually keeps things tight early on and then steps up the pace, often through the runs of Carlos Romero.
Espanyol Form & Record Check
Espanyol’s 1-2 win at Osasuna changed the tone of the week. Carlos Romero scored first, Kike García restored the lead after the break following an assist from Tyrhys Dolan, and the result followed a 2-0 home win against Athletic Club. After 18 winless games, Manolo González’s team suddenly showed exactly the kind of response the relegation battle demanded. However, this resurgence shouldn’t mask the team’s weaknesses.
The 2-1 win at Sevilla and the 0-2 loss to Real Madrid showed how quickly Espanyol can lose its composure in attack, while the 0-0 draw against Levante underscored their cautious starts. Nevertheless, two clean sheets in their last three home league games provide a foundation, even without Javi Puado. Edu Expósito and Omar El Hilali both viewed this last match as an opportunity to win at home, not just to celebrate avoiding relegation. The new structure under Monchi also gives the club a forward-looking narrative, but on Saturday, what happens on the field still matters most. The most credible version of Espanyol starts out compact and grows bolder as soon as spaces open up.
Espanyol is likely to line up in a 4-4-2, with Marko Dmitrovic (No. 13) in goal and a back line likely built around Omar El Hilali (No. 23), Clemens Riedel (No. 38), Leandro Cabrera (No. 6), and Carlos Romero (No. 22). With Javi Puado sidelined due to a torn ACL, Pere Milla (No. 11) and Tyrhys Dolan (No. 24) could pose a threat from the wings.
Real Sociedad Form & Record Check
Real Sociedad’s 3-4 home loss to Valencia pretty much summed up their recent league struggles. Aihen Muñoz scored early, Orri Óskarsson also found the net, and Mikel Oyarzabal provided an assist, yet Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team still collapsed in the closing minutes against a ten-man side. For a Copa del Rey winner, this defensive carelessness is hard to overlook. Real Sociedad has now gone seven league games without a win. Most recently, there were draws in Girona, against Real Betis, and at Rayo Vallecano, along with losses to Sevilla and Valencia. The offense looks livelier under Matarazzo, but 60 goals conceded in the league are a massive red flag. While Álex Remiro has played every league game in full, his season has been unusually grueling. Squad management is also part of the story. Álvaro Odriozola remains out long-term, while Jon Gorrotxategi, Ander Barrenetxea, and Yangel Herrera were topics of discussion during the final training sessions; Yangel Herrera is back with the group. Aritz Elustondo’s farewell week brings added emotion, but above all, Real Sociedad needs a cleaner, calmer ninety minutes.
Real Sociedad could line up in a 4-2-3-1, with Álex Remiro in goal behind Aritz Elustondo, Jon Martín, Igor Zubeldia, and Sergio Gómez. With Álvaro Odriozola out long-term, Aritz Elustondo seems the obvious choice at right back. Jon Gorrotxategi and Ander Barrenetxea remain sidelined, so Beñat Turrientes and Pablo Marín are likely to step in, while Takefusa Kubo and Mikel Oyarzabal lead the attack.
Espanyol – Real Sociedad Head-to-Head & Stats
The last five meetings clearly favor Real Sociedad: four wins and one draw, while Espanyol is still waiting for a victory in this series. The most recent matchup in August 2025 ended 2-2. Prior to that, Real Sociedad won 2-1 in 2025, 1-0 in 2024, 3-2 in 2023, and 2-1 in 2022. The scoring pattern is almost as telling as the results. Real Sociedad has scored in all five of these matches, while Espanyol has conceded a goal in every one and lost four in a row prior to the August draw. Four of the five matches featured over 2.5 goals, and Espanyol scored in four of them. History thus suggests that Real’s advantage rarely stems from total control.
