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Sergio Canales will come up against his former club as he continues adding to his appearances total and other impressive stats for Los Verdiblancos.
Real Sociedad and Real Betis currently sit fourth and fifth in the LaLiga Santander standings and are among the best-performing sides in the competition so far this season. This Sunday (9pm CEST) they’ll meet in a direct battle for one of the Champions League qualification spots in what has become one of the most attractive fixtures in LaLiga Santander in recent seasons. However, both teams come into this game on the back of losses so they’ll both be thirsty for victory.
This will be a clash between two coaches who have imposed an entertaining style of football, while it’ll also involve many players near the top of the leader boards for various LaLiga Santander statistics. Borja Iglesias is the second-top scorer of the season with seven goals scored so far. On the other side, Mikel Merino is the player with the second-most assists, with four. Plus, both teams have some of the most consistent passers in the competition: William Carvalho (571), Martín Zubimendi (556), Mikel Merino (553) and Guido Rodríguez (547) are all near the top of the passing charts.
Real Sociedad vs Real Betis will also be a match of reunions. Many of the players who’ll take to the pitch have worn both shirts during their careers. This includes the likes of Sergio Canales (177 games for Real Betis and 161 for La Real), Claudio Bravo (49 for Real Betis and 237 for La Real), Juanmi (79 for Real Betis and 114 for La Real) and Willian José (55 for Real Betis and 170 for La Real). They’re following in the footsteps of other historic players who represented both clubs, such as José Ramón Esnaola and Roberto López Ufarte.
In the case of Canales, he’ll be available again for Manuel Pellegrini after serving a one-match suspension against Atlético de Madrid. He’ll return to his former home and may do so with the captain’s armband of Real Betis, which he has already worn six times this season. He is one of the team’s key players and one of the most respected in LaLiga Santander, having been key for Pellegrini this season and in the past, proving crucial as Real Betis won the 2021/22 Copa del Rey and regained their place among the league’s top teams. Along with Nabil Fekir, the team’s play ruins through Canales, and he will have a major role to play in the game at the Reale Arena against a team that knows him well and that will surely keep an eye on him.
Canales was a vital member of the Basque team when he was there between 2014 and 2018, just as he is now an essential member of the Andalusian squad. The midfielder recently surpassed the number of games he played with Real Sociedad and, not only has he now played more games in the Real Betis shirt, but his numbers have been even better too. He has scored 36 goals and provided 27 assists compared to 13 goals and 22 assists with Real Sociedad. In his final season with the Txuri-urdin, he coincided with Imanol Alguacil and with some members of the current squad, players like Asier Illarramendi, Mikel Oyarzabal, Igor Zubeldia and Aritz Elustondo.
Canales will be one to watch in this match, one which promises to be a great spectacle overall. It will be a fun duel as these two teams fight to make the top four, playing good football and boasting brilliant players.
