Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | La Liga, September 14, 2024

Preview

• Tournament: La Liga
• Date: Saturday, September 14
• Kick-off Time: 7:00 pm GMT
• Venue: Reale Arena, San Sebastian, Spain

The action in La Liga 2024/25 will resume with the defending champions, Real Madrid traveling to San Sebastian to go toe-to-toe against Real Sociedad. The hosts sit at the 13ᵗʰ spot in the La Liga table with four points while Los Blancos are only behind FC Barcelona with eight points to their name. The Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid match has produced some of the greatest encounters in recent times and neutral fans will hope to once again witness a closely fought-out contest.

Real Sociedad’s recent run has been a very disappointing one. In the last six games, the club has managed only one win accompanied by three victories and two draws. Real Sociedad had a tremendous campaign last season, finishing in sixth place with 60 points. Consequently, Real Sociedad will also have the privilege of competing in the UEFA Europa League this time around. Imanol Alguacil, though, will be aware that his side needs to kick into form quickly to manage the upcoming workload and expectations.

Madridistas will be discontent with the side’s start to the 2024/25 season. In the first four matchdays, Madrid has accumulated only two victories with two draws. The performance levels have been below par and it was only in the last match against Real Betis that the team began to operate at a high level. Real Madrid will have to endure several criticisms and a high volume of scrutiny throughout the campaign. Carlo Ancelotti is still attempting to find his best combination but he cannot afford to drop points against Real Sociedad to keep pace with arch-rivals, FC Barcelona in a bid to retain the Spanish crown.

Real Sociedad Team News

Alvaro Odriozola and Ander Barrenetxea are still a doubt for the game on Saturday. Manager, Imanol Alguacil will surely have to deal with the absence of Aritz Elustondo, Arsen Zakharyan, Brais Mendez, Hamari Traore, and Mikel Oyarzabal who are all out due to respective injury issues. Umar Sadiq is set to start as the reference point in attack in a 4-4-1-1 formation.

Real Madrid Team News

Real Madrid is currently battling an injury crisis. David Alaba was already on the injury list at the start of the campaign due to his recovery process from the ACL injury. He was joined by Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga in August. Ferland Mendy, Aurelien Tchouameni, Dani Ceballos, and Eder Militao have also suffered injuries before and during the international break. Amidst the midfield absentees, Luka Modric, Arda Guler, and Federico Valverde are set to be named in the starting XI.

Predicted Lineups

Real Sociedad Predicted Lineup

Remiro; Munoz, Zubeldia, Pacheco, Aramburu; Kubo, Zubimendi, Turrientes, Gomez; Oskarsson, Sadiq

Real Madrid Predicted Lineup

Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Vallejo, Mendy; Valverde, Modric, Guler; Rodrygo, Vinicius, Mbappe

Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid H2H Record

Real Madrid won both meetings between the two sides last season. The margin was just a single goal on both occasions which highlights the difficulties in negating the Sociedad threat. In the last five matches with Madrid, Real Sociedad has picked up just a solitary victory, losing three times to the European champions.

Key Players to Watch in Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)

The Frenchman finally opened his account in La Liga in the previous game against Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu. Madrid fans are now hoping that the goals will keep on coming from the boots of Kylian Mbappe. Real Sociedad away is one of the most challenging fixtures in the Spanish first division. Consequently, the defending Spanish champions will need to make the most out of every chance and who is better than Kylian Mbappe for that job? The 25-year-old found the back of the net twice in March against Saturday’s opponents at the Reale Arena playing for PSG in the Champions League.

Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)

Federico Valverde has been the best player for Real Madrid so far this season. The Uruguayan has already scored two goals and provided an assist. Apart from the statistics, Valverde has been the driving force for Real Madrid in midfield. His place in the starting lineup is non-negotiable for Carlo Ancelotti. With the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham, and Eduardo Camavinga not available, Valverde will be expected to carry the burden of the midfield responsibility and he is more than capable of handling that. The 26-year-old scored a goal against Real Sociedad in the Bernabeu last season.

Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid Prediction

Real Madrid will enter the game as the favourites to come out with the three points. It is difficult to imagine a goal fest considering Real Sociedad’s well-defined structure but Madrid’s individual quality should prove to be too much for the hosts to handle. Imanol Alguacil will also be without several of his starters which will make his job even tougher.

Predicted Score: Real Sociedad 0-2 Real Madrid (Watch Live)

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