Both Real Sociedad and Real Madrid have had a shaky start to the new La Liga campaign, forcing both teams to step up their game following the international break. Real Madrid are deservedly considered the favourites for the matchup in San Sebastián, especially given the host's injury issues.
In their first four rounds of the championship, Real Sociedad have only managed to secure four points. They are struggling with their game organisation. For instance, in their previous match against defensive Getafe (0:0), they only managed one shot in 90 minutes, resulting in just 0.01 xG. Additionally, crucial midfield players Brais Méndez and Arsen Zakharyan, who have been injured since the start of the season, are now joined by team captain and main forward Mikel Oyarzabal. Oyarzabal, the scorer of the winning goal in the Euro 2024 final, sustained an injury while on national duty.
Real Madrid's start has been less than convincing: they dropped points twice in their first four rounds, but the team's key stars are gradually getting into form and understanding each other better. In the opening rounds of La Liga, it was evident that Kylian Mbappe and Vinícius Júnior were reluctant to share the ball, but in their last match against Real Betis (2:0), Real Madrid clinched the victory. The team created 2.26 xG with 20 shots — an impressive figure against a top-7 opponent from last season.
In the previous campaign, Real Sociedad couldn’t compete effectively with Real Madrid in head-to-head clashes (1:2 and 0:1). Real Madrid are improving their finishing — and in San Sebastián, they will have plenty of opportunities.
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Imanol Alguacil
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coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Álex Remiro
|
gk. | 4 | -4 |
|
Unai Marrero Larrañaga
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
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Hamari Traoré
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
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Javier López Carballo
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
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Jon Pacheco Dozagarat
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
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Sergio Gómez
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
|
Jon Mikel Aramburu Mejías
|
df. | 3 | 0 |
|
Aritz Elustondo
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
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Igor Zubeldia
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
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Jon Martín Vicente
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Aihen Muñoz
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
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Nayef Aguerd
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
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Álvaro Odriozola
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
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Beñat Turrientes Imaz
|
mf. | 4 | 0 |
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Brais Méndez
|
mf. | 4 | 1 |
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Martín Zubimendi
|
mf. | 4 | 1 |
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Jon Ander Olasagasti Imizcoz
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
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Pablo Marín Tejada
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
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Luka Sučić
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
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Urko González
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
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Arsen Zakharyan
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
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Jon Magunazelaia Argoitia
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
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Sheraldo Becker
|
fw. | 4 | 0 |
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Takefusa Kubo
|
fw. | 4 | 1 |
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Mikel Oyarzabal
|
fw. | 3 | 0 |
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Umar Sadiq Mesbah
|
fw. | 3 | 0 |
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Ander Barrenetxea
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
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Orri Steinn Óskarsson
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
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Carlo Ancelotti
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Thibaut Сourtois
|
gk. | 4 | -2 |
|
Andriy Lunin
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
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Francisco Javier González Pérez
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
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Antonio Rüdiger
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
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Daniel Carvajal
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
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Éder Militão
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
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Ferland Mendy
|
df. | 3 | 0 |
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Fran García
|
df. | 3 | 0 |
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Lucas Vázquez
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
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David Alaba
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
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Jesús Vallejo
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
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Aurelien Tchouameni
|
mf. | 4 | 0 |
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Brahim Díaz
|
mf. | 4 | 1 |
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Federico Valverde
|
mf. | 4 | 1 |
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Luka Modrić
|
mf. | 4 | 0 |
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Arda Güler
|
mf. | 3 | 0 |
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Daniel Ceballos
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
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Jude Victor William Bellingham
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
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Eduardo Camavinga
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
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Kylian Mbappé
|
fw. | 4 | 2 |
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Rodrygo Goes
|
fw. | 4 | 1 |
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Vinisius Junior
|
fw. | 4 | 1 |
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Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa
|
fw. | 3 | 1 |
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