Sports Mole previews Saturday’s La Liga clash between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Real Madrid will be bidding to make it three straight La Liga victories when they continue their title charge at home to Real Sociedad on Saturday night.
Los Blancos are currently top of the division, six points clear of second-placed Sevilla, while Real Sociedad occupy sixth, just one point behind fourth-placed Barcelona.
Match preview
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Much of the talk in recent days has been about Real Madrid’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain at Bernabeu next week, where Carlo Ancelotti‘s side will look to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition.
However, Los Blancos cannot afford to take their eye off the ball in La Liga, as second-placed Sevilla could have closed the gap to three points by the time that this match kicks off on Saturday night.
Real Madrid have responded impressively to their shock 1-0 defeat at Getafe at the start of January, winning four of their last six league matches, including their last two against Alaves and Rayo Vallecano, while they have not conceded a single goal in La Liga since January 23.
Ancelotti’s team have a huge end to March, following the clash against PSG with league matches against Mallorca and Barcelona, and it will be interesting to see whether the Madrid giants pull clear at the summit, with Sevilla desperately trying to stay close to the current leaders.
Real Madrid ran out 2-0 winners over Real Sociedad in the reverse match earlier this season, but the points were shared in a 1-1 draw when they last locked horns at Bernabeu last term.
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Real Sociedad, meanwhile, were eliminated from the Europa League at the end of last month, losing 3-1 at home to RB Leipzig in the second leg of their knockout round playoff fixture.
The Basque outfit have responded impressively to the European disappointment, though, winning their last two in the league, beating Osasuna by a single goal at the end of February before recording a 2-0 victory over Mallorca on Wednesday evening to return to sixth spot in the table.
Real Sociedad have now collected 44 points from their 26 league matches this season, which has left them just one point behind fourth-placed Barcelona, so a Champions League finish is still open this term.
The White and Blues have won five, drawn four and lost four of their 13 league games on their travels this season, while they have a recent Bernabeu success to their name, recording a 2-0 victory in January 2019.
Head coach Imanol Alguacil will be hoping that Real Madrid’s focus on the huge European fixture with PSG will allow Real Sociedad to collect a huge three points, as they push towards the top four at the business end of the season.
Real Madrid La Liga form:
Real Madrid form (all competitions):
Real Sociedad La Liga form:
Real Sociedad form (all competitions):
Team News
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Real Madrid could again be missing Gareth Bale (muscle) and Andriy Lunin (elbow) this weekend, while David Alaba‘s fitness will have to be monitored ahead of kickoff.
Alaba was not involved against Rayo last time out due to a thigh problem, and although the Austria international has returned to training, he is unlikely to be risked here, so Nacho should continue at the back.
Ferland Mendy and Casemiro are both suspended for the clash with PSG, so they are certain starters on Saturday, while Federico Valverde could come in for Luka Modric to build his match fitness, with the Uruguay international likely to be in the starting side in the Champions League next week.
Ancelotti will resist the temptation to shuffle his pack in the final third, though, with Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio again set to operate either side of Karim Benzema.
As for Real Sociedad, Joseba Zaldua, Nacho Monreal, Carlos Fernandez, Adnan Januzaj, Rafinha, Diego Rico and Ander Barrenetxea will again be absent through injury.
Head coach Alguacil is expected to make changes to the side that started against Mallorca, with Martin Zubimendi pushing to be involved in central midfield, while Alexander Isak should return at centre-forward.
Mikel Oyarzabal and David Silva have both had their fitness problems this season, but the pair played 90 minutes against Mallorca on Wednesday and will again be in the starting side here, while Mikel Merino will retain his spot in the middle of the park.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos; Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Elustondo, Le Normand, Pacheco, Gorosabel; Zubimendi, Merino; Oyarzabal, D Silva, Portu; Isak
We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Real Sociedad
This has all of the makings of a very, very interesting game of football, and Real Sociedad will certainly believe that they are capable of picking up a positive result on Saturday. Sevilla will be hoping that the Basque side can do them a favour, but we believe that Los Blancos will shade a close match in Madrid.
Top tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home Win:data
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