Villarreal vs Real Sociedad preview - Toral fears home disappointment

Posted Monday, January 13, 2014 by PA

Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia Toral fears his side could be in for more home disappointment against Real Sociedad on Monday night unless they can cut out the individual errors that have been costing them dear.

The Yellow Submarine won four of their opening five home matches at the start of the season, while drawing the other 2-2 against Real Madrid, but since then they have drawn three and lost the other two of their five league and cup matches.

The promoted club now have a great chance to dramatically improve their home form as they play three matches at El Madrigal in the next week, but Marcelino knows to do that they need to cut out the mistakes.

"I am concerned about not winning at home, but the truth is that here we've committed serious individual errors that don't happen when we play away," he said in AS.

"The solution is not to commit any mistakes, even though that is human. If we do make them, we're going to lose against because Real Sociedad have a lot of quality."

Monday's match is the second of three meetings between Villarreal and Sociedad in eight days with the two clubs also facing each other in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.

The first leg of that tie finished in goalless at Anoeta on Thursday and Marcelino expects a similar game on Monday, even if there are widespread changes in the two teams.

He said: "It will be a very similar game to the one we played on Thursday, and whoever is the most clinical will win it.

"Both teams are probably going to make changes to their starting line-ups with respect to that encounter, but the ideas and the style of play will be the same and it will be decided by the little details.

"Real are a good team, well-organised defensively and in attack have players with great potential, a lot of speed and precision. So we are going to need to be very alert and maintain the same intensity we had in Anoeta."

Red-hot Sociedad have won their last five Primera Division matches and eight of their last 10 to climb up to fifth place on 32 points, one place and one point above Villarreal.

Another victory in what is their final game of the first half of the season would see Sociedad move to within a point of arch rivals Athletic Bilbao - who they beat 2-0 last weekend - and leave them well-placed to try and replicate their top-four finish from last season.

Coach Jagoba Arrasate said at a press conference: "The fact we have the chance to get 35 points from the first half of the season I think speaks very well of this team. We know that we're doing things well but we're not going to settle for just that, we always want more."