Many believe, myself included, that Atletico Madrid might be the dark horse of La Liga season 2018/2019. I think that they have a good chance to win the Spanish trophy, but for that, they mustn’t let their form drop. And this implies that beating Real Sociedad on Saturday evening is a must. Most of their fans think that as well and they’re gonna give them a lot of support from the stands of Wanda Metropolitano. Read this Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad match preview to see whether Atleti will make their plan come to life!
Atletico Madrid
Atleti will probably be without Diego Costa in this game. He’s recovered from an injury but doesn’t seem to be fully fit for playing from the very start. But, he might come in from the bench, if needed. And I think there won’t be any need for Costa to save Atleti. This season, they have enough players to do well even if one of their biggest stars gets injured.
Unlike last season when they had an extremely short bench, they now have a decent number of backup players. And that is why they’ve been doing okay lately. After a not too impressive start of the season, they’re again back on the right track. They did play 1:1 in the previous round against Villarreal, which can be considered a slight failure, but two rounds before, they played draw with Los Blancos at Santiago Bernabeu.
What gives their fans hope ahead of this match is that Atletico have lost only one La Liga home game since they moved from Vincente Calderon to Wanda Metropolitano. It’s how good they are when they’re playing before their crowd! And the fact that they won each of their previous 5 games against Real Sociedad that were played at their turf gives them even more confidence.
Real Sociedad
It seems that in the duels between these two, home turf plays a big role. The team that was the host won in each duel between these two teams since October 2015. The last time they met was in April; Real Sociedad were the hosts and the score was 3:0.
Obviously, the experience from that game gives them the confidence that they have what it takes to beat Atletico. Willian Jose, who scored the opener, and Juanmi, who scored the other two, are still in Real Sociedad and have been playing well so far. In fact, the entire team has been more than decent this season, winning 12 points so far, which is only 4 less than Atletico.
What makes Real Sociedad great is that this season there isn’t a single player that’s leading the way. Instead, there are several guys competing for the title of their best player. Furthermore, the fact that 22 different players have featured in at least one game this season means that their bench is long and strong. So, even the fact that they have a few injured players doesn’t mean they’re traveling to the Spanish capital ready to surrender.
Team News
Atletico Madrid absentees:
- Diego Costa (doubtful)
- Stefan Savic (doubtful)
Real Sociedad absentees:
- Martin Merquelanz (injury)
- Mikel Merino (injury)
- Joseba Zaldua (injury)
- David Concha (injury)
Possible Lineups
Atletico Madrid
Oblak – Godin, Gimenez, Juanfran, Hernandez – Koke, Partey, Lemar, Saul – Griezmann, Kalinic
Real Sociedad
Rulli – Navas, Elustondo, Gorosabel, Rodrigues – Illarrimendi, Zubeldia, Pardo, Sangalli, Oyarzabal – Willian Jose
Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad Match Prediction
Atleti are the better team and they play at home, which in this case, can mean a lot. I can see them winning all 3 points in this game.
Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad Betting Tips
- Atletico Madrid @1.53 (bet365)