Preview: Real Sociedad vs. Sevilla

After facing Manchester United in Thursday’s Europa League clash, Real Sociedad will now turn their attention back to La Liga action for Sunday’s home meeting with Sevilla.

The hosts head into the weekend in ninth place in the standings, while the visitors are just one point behind in 12th position.

Match preview

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Real Sociedad will have mixed feelings about Thursday’s Europa League clash against Man United, as they managed to rescue a draw in the first leg of their last-16 tie but ultimately missed the chance to make full use of home advantage.

Joshua Zirkzee gave Man United a 57th-minute lead, before Mikel Oyarzabal equalised from the spot after Bruno Fernandes was penalised for handball, and while Brais Mendez and Orri Oskarsson had the chance to win the game, the Basque side had to be content with 1-1 scoreline, leaving the tie finely poised ahead of Thursday’s return leg at Old Trafford.

Before they make the trip to the North-West of England, La Real will focus on their bid to secure European football for next season, with the ninth-placed side sitting four points adrift of the top six in La Liga.

While more European places could open up, Real Sociedad will still be looking to secure the best possible position, especially as they have finished in the top six in each of the last five seasons.

Imanol Alguacil will be desperate for his side to improve upon a poor run of form which has seen them lose five of their previous seven league matches, including a heavy 4-0 victory in last Sunday’s away match against Barcelona after playing the majority of the contest with 10 men following Aritz Elustondo‘s 17th-minute red card.

They can at least take confidence from their recent record at Reale Arena, having won three of their previous four home league matches (L1).

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Sevilla may be in the bottom half of the table, but they will still be hoping to make a push for European qualification, with five points separating them from their local rivals Real Betis in sixth position.

While they have lost just one of their previous eight matches, Sevilla will be frustrated by the fact that five of those games have finished all square, including their last two outings against Mallorca and Rayo Vallecano.

They conceded a stoppage-time equaliser to draw at home with Mallorca, before they repeated that scoreline in last Saturday’s trip to Vallecas.

In truth, Sevilla would have been relieved to salvage a point from that contest after Dodi Lukebakio scored an 81st-minute equaliser to cancel out Andrei Ratiu‘s opener to extend his team’s unbeaten away league run to four matches (W2, D2), meaning that they have not lost a La Liga away game since falling to a 4-2 defeat in December’s meeting with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

They may have their work cut out to extend their unbeaten away run given the fact that they have lost four of their previous five games against Real Sociedad, including a 2-1 defeat in both of their last two visits to the Reale Arena.

Those two results extended Sevilla’s winless run in head-to-head away meetings to three matches, leaving them without an away win against Real Sociedad since recording a 2-1 victory in April 2021 thanks to goals from Fernando and Youssef En-Nesyri.

Real Sociedad La Liga form:

Real Sociedad form (all competitions):

Sevilla La Liga form:

Team News

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The hosts are expected to be without the services of Jon Pacheco, Alvaro Odriozola and Arsen Zakharyan, while midfielder Martin Zubimendi is a doubt after missing the game against Man United through illness.

Elustondo will drop out of the Real Sociedad backline to serve a one-match suspension following his dismissal against Barcelona last weekend.

Jon Aramburu will replace Elustondo in the backline, while Alguacil may make further changes in a bid to freshen up his side, with Javi Lopez, Jon Ander Olasagasti, Pablo Marin, Sergio Gomez, Sheraldo Becker and Oskarsson all in contention to start against Sevilla.

Defender Nayef Aguerd and forward Oyarzabal should be available for selection despite finishing Thursday’s draw with some discomfort.

Meanwhile, Sevilla boss Garcia Pimienta is still having to cope without the injured trio of Tanguy Nianzou, Nemanja Gudelj and Akor Adams.

Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga is likely to feature in the matchday squad after returning to training following a four-game injury absence.

In contrast to their hosts, Sevilla have had a full week to prepare for Sunday’s fixture, and with his team well-rested, Piementa could opt for consistency by naming the same lineup for the third match in a row.

Lukebakio will continue to offer Sevilla’s main attacking threat after scoring 11 goals in 26 La Liga appearances this season.

Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Aguerd, Lopez; Olasagasti, Turrientes, Marin; Becker, Gomez, Oskarsson

We say: Real Sociedad 1-1 Sevilla

Real Sociedad will do their utmost to stop their focus from wandering towards Thursday’s Europa League clash at Old Trafford, but there is ultimately a risk that they may have one eye on their return leg against Man United, and we think that their balancing act could hinder their chances of claiming all three points.

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