january 2nd daily double up

Sociedad find themselves 6th in La Liga, and with a break now from Europe, it’s time to gain some ground on those above them, starting with a win tonight.

They couldn’t choose many better opponents to start a winning run than Alaves.

They’ve lost 3 on the spin, are the league’s lowest goal scorers, and have won 0/9 on the road.

Again, with an abysmal output. They’ve scored 4 times in 9 away games, nobody in the league has managed fewer.

So ideas are prone to a few draws, so win either half offers us some extra safety here.

They’re unbeaten in 6 La Liga matches, which included good wins over Sevilla & Villarreal.

This is an exceptionally talented side, shown by the fact they topped their Champions League group ahead of Inter Milan, Benfica and Salzburg.

The side is brimming with star quality. In attack, Oyarzabal and Kubo provide creativity and goals from the wings.

In midfield, it’s been a great season for Mikel Merino whilst Brais Mendez impressed in their European games.

Alaves are not only struggling in terms of form, they’re also missing a few key players.

Starting Centre back Aleksander Sedlar is injured and one of his replacements, Ruben Duarte, is suspended.

The Hammers ended 2023 with three straight wins and were unbeaten in 7 of the last 8 league matches.

West Ham are consistently finding the back of the net, scoring in each of the last 9 Premier League matches.

Whilst their defense has improved recently, West Ham do concede more than a side in 6th place should. West Ham have the 6th worst clean sheet record at just 21%.

Combining the strong attack and leaky defense, it’s no surprise to hear The Irons have the 5th highest BTTS rate in the league – 68%.

Brighton’s recent form has been a mixed bag but one thing they do consistently is concede.

Brighton are the only side in England’s top 5 leagues yet to record a clean sheet. Allowing at least one goal against in each of their 19 league games.

Brighton are almost as consistent going forwards, scoring in 18/19 league games this season, only failing to score against Arsenal in the Gunner’s 2-0 win at the Emirates.

This means Brighton’s BTTS rate is 95% and this selection looks nailed on.

8 of the last 10 league meetings between these sides saw BTTS come in. This includes this fixture last year which finished 1-3 to The Seagulls.