Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad predictions and match preview for Sunday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as two top four teams clash.
| Date | Sunday 28th May 2023 |
| Kick-Off | 19:00 (CEST) |
| Stadium | Civitas Metropolitano |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad Preview
It’s 3rd against 4th at the Civitas Metropolitano on Sunday on the penultimate weekend of this LaLiga season. Both sides have enjoyed some really strong periods this season and both should be heading for the Champions League next term. Atletico Madrid have already booked their place while a win here would guarantee Real Sociedad a seat at Europe’s top table once more.
That won’t be easy when you consider how well Atletico Madrid are playing at home. They’ve won their last 8 league fixtures at the Civitas Metropolitano, scoring 24 goals in the process with Diego Simone’s side frequently combining style and substance which has rarely been the case during his long tenure.
The brilliant Antoine Griezmann has been at the heart of just about everything that has been good about Atleti in the second half of the season. It’s crazy to think that he was being restricted to 30 minute appearances earlier in the campaign for contractual reasons but he’s now on 29 starts in LaLiga and has 14 goals and 13 assists. Only Robert Lewandowski can better his tally for goal contributions in the Spanish top flight this year.
Atleti did let a 3-0 lead slip to only draw at Espanyol on Thursday night, so perhaps there are a few cracks that Real Sociedad can look to exploit here. Faced with real pressure from in-form Villarreal, the Basques have done really well to hold their nerve and keep putting points on the board in their pursuit of 4th place.
La Real are unbeaten in 7 heading into this, winning 5 of those games including victories over both Real Madrid and Barcelona. Those results have to give them a lot of belief that they are capable of repeating the trick here to complete what would be a very impressive hat-trick of wins. They will qualify for the Champions League regardless of their result here if Villarreal fail to win across Madrid in Vallecas, but Imanol will be hoping his team can take care of business themselves.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Atletico Madrid
| INJURED | Reinildo, Savic |
| DOUBTFUL | Oblak, Lemar, Llorente, Depay |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Grbic – Hermoso, Witsel, Gimenez – Carrasco, Koke, De Paul, Saul, Molina – Griezmann, Correa (3-5-2)
Coach: Diego Simeone
Real Sociedad
| INJURED | Merquelanz, Sadiq, Silva |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Remiro – Rico, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Aritz – Zubimendi, Merino, Brais Mendez – Oyarzabal, Sorloth, Kubo (4-3-3)
Coach: Imanol Alguacil
Score Prediction: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Real Sociedad
This successful period in Real Sociedad’s history largely started with a draw in this fixture at the end of the 2019/20 season when Adnan Januzaj’s late goal sealed Europa League qualification. There may be a sense of history repeating itself here if they can clinch a Champions League place on the same ground, but they may struggle to get all three points given how well Atleti are playing at home.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions and previews are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
