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It was business as usual for Real Madrid on Thursday as they recorded a 3-0 win against Valencia in La Liga to close the gap on league leaders Barcelona to two points.
After their emphatic win last night, the Madrid giants will now travel to Reale Arena, where they will face Real Sociedad in their first away game after the lockdown. La Real suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of Deportivo Alaves last time out, which came as a blow to their top-four hopes this season.
Despite their two back-to-back wins, however, Zinedine Zidane's men do not have time to relax as they chase their first La Liga title since 2017. Meanwhile, Sociedad need a win this weekend to remain in contention for Champions League qualification.
Without further ado, we take a look at how the two sides measure up and what we can expect when they go head to head on Sunday.
Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid Head-to-Head:
Like almost any other La Liga club that has gone up against the mighty Real Madrid, Real Sociedad have struggled to get the better of them, winning only 26 games, as opposed to the 82 wins recorded by Los Blancos. Of the 145 top-flight meetings so far, 37 have ended in a draw.
Real Sociedad completed the double over Real Madrid when they won both the home and away games against the Bernabeu outfit last season.
This season though, Los Blancos recorded an easy 3-1 victory in their first La Liga meeting against Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu and could return the favour on Sunday.
Real Sociedad form guide: L-D-W-L-W-W
Real Madrid form guide: W-W-L-W-L-L
Real Sociedad and Real Sociedad Team News
Real Sociedad:
Former Real Madrid midfielder and current club captain Asier Illarramendi picked up an injury during a training session on Monday, ruling him out for the rest of the season. He has not played since August after an injury and subsequent surgery kept him off the pitch.
Apart from him, midfielder Luca Sangalli is also set to undergo surgery this month, while winger Ander Barrenetxea had injured himself in training before the Osasuna game and remains unavailable. Ander Guevara, who missed the previous two games, is another long-term absentee.
Right-back Joseba Zaldua picked up two yellow cards in the loss against Alaves and will be suspended for the game.
Injuries: Asier Illarramendi (thigh), Luca Sangalli(knee), Ander Barrenetxea (hip), Ander Guevara (ankle)
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: Joseba Zaldua
Real Madrid:
Marco Asensio marked his return from a long injury layoff with a wonderful goal against Valencia and is likely to feature for Real Madrid this weekend. Dani Carvajal, Marcelo and Bale gave injury scares after the first match following the enforced break, but they all recovered in time and even featured in the match against Los Ches last night.
Isco missed out last night's fixture and is recovering from a hamstring injury. Apart from him, there are no new concerns for Zidane. Lucas Vasquez, Luka Jovic and Nacho are all long-term absentees and are not in contention for this game. Forward Mariano continues to train alone but it's doubtful that he will be match-fit by Sunday.
Injuries: Luka Jovic (fractured foot), Nacho (thigh), Lucas Vazquez (muscle strain), Isco (hamstring)
Doubtful: Mariano Diaz (toe)
Suspensions: None
Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid Predicted XI
Real Sociedad (4-2-3-1): Alex Remiro; Aritz Elustondo, Diego Llorente, Robin Le Normand, Nacho Monreal;,Mikel Merino, Igor Zubeldia; Martin Odegaard, Adnan Januzaj, Mikel Oyarzabal; Willian Jose
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Carlos Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric; Eden Hazard, Vinícius Junior, Karim Benzema.
Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid Prediction
Real Madrid have been on a roll since returning to action in La Liga, scoring three goals each in the two games. The attackers have been in excellent form, especially striker Karim Benzema, who became the fifth-highest goalscorer for the club with his brace against Valencia.
The chemistry between Eden Hazard and Benzema is also starting to develop into an effective partnership in front, something the club has lacked for the better part of the season.
Real Sociedad have a lot of young talent in their ranks and have been especially dependent on the duo of Martin Odegaard and Mikel Oyarzabal throughout the campaign.
However, as seen in their previous fixture, when the duo is out of form, their attack completely collapses. It will also be difficult for Imanol Alguacil's men to break through the Real Madrid defence, which has only conceded 20 goals so far this term.
Prediction: Real Sociedad 0-3 Real Madrid
