Real Sociedad vs Atletico Madrid
After such a strong start to the La Liga season, Real Sociedad are now in the midst of a massive slump. While they remain second in the table, La Real have now gone nearly a month without a win and have also lost back-to-back matches, which have dealt a huge blow to their La Liga 2020 odds to win the title.
And now, La Real could lose even more ground in the title race as they host new leaders Atletico Madrid at Anoeta Stadium.
Atleti have taken advantage of Sociedad’s recent slide to build a three-point lead atop the table and still have three more games in hand. Diego Simeone’s side will be eager to dig Sociedad into an even deeper hole when they visit the Basque Country.
Talking Points
Sociedad struggling in a big way
Real Sociedad’s promising start to the season is looking more and more like a distant memory. After going down 2-1 to Barcelona in midweek, they suffered a second consecutive defeat away to Levante over the weekend.
Despite taking an early lead, La Real still lost after Levante scored a late winner through substitute Jorge de Frutos.
That defeat extended Sociedad’s disastrous run of La Liga 2020 results to five matches without a win (three draws, two defeats) and eight matches in all competitions. Their last win came all the way back on Nov. 22 when they beat Cadiz, 1-0.
Sociedad were once again without leading scorer Mikel Oyarzabal (seven league goals) for the fifth straight match, and they were also missing winger Adnan Januzaj and midfield maestro David Silva. Those key absentees took a toll on Sociedad’s attack as they failed to take their chances on goal.
There was a report that Oyarzabal looked set to return from his lengthy layoff against Levante, but he was not included in the squad. It now remains to be seen whether manager Imanol Alguacil will risk bringing his star man back in such a big match against Atleti.
If Oyarzabal does miss out again, Alguacil will have to turn to Alexander Isak to lead the Sociedad attack. The 21-year-old Swede scored against Levante, his first goal in his last seven appearances.
Atleti lose Felix but gain Costa
Atletico Madrid bounced back from their disappointing Madrid derby defeat last week to beat Elche 3-1 at home. Prior to their defeat at Real, Atleti had won each of their last seven La Liga matches.
Luis Suarez bagged a brace against Elche, his first since scoring two in a 6-1 win over Granada in his Atleti debut. Meanwhile, Diego Costa came off the bench after a month-long layoff to score a penalty, which was also his first goal since that Granada match in September.
Costa’s return to the line-up has come at the right time for Atleti as rising star Joao Felix suffered a rib injury in the win over Elche and could potentially miss up to two weeks of action.
After a strong start to the season, Felix’s production has slowed down a bit of late. He has scored just one goal with no assists in his last eight games and was notably frustrated after Simeone took him off on the hour mark against Real.
Simeone won’t be short of options to replace Joao Felix, though, with Costa, Marcos Llorente, and Angel Correa all capable of playing alongside Suarez.
On the other end, Simeone will be disappointed Atleti conceded against an Elche side that has one of the weakest attacks in La Liga. Nevertheless, it was just the fifth goal Atleti have given up all season, by far the best defensive record in the league.
History
Atletico Madrid have historically had the upper hand in their matchups against Sociedad. They have won 14 of their last 23 league meetings, with six defeats and three draws.
However, La Real have held their own at home in recent years. They’ve won four out of the last six matches against Atleti at the Anoeta.
Betting Tip
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Real Sociedad vs Atletico Madrid | 1X2 Draw @ 3.00 |
| December 23, 02:45 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Atletico Madrid as slight 2.44 favourites to beat Real Sociedad, who are priced at 3.05 at home. Meanwhile, a draw is at 3.00.
Despite Sociedad’s shoddy form of late, the fact that they will be at home and could potentially have star forward Oyarzabal back should give them a decent shot at picking up at least a point in this match.
The home side will clearly be the more desperate side due to their winless drought, while Atleti – who have yet to pass a major test away from home this season – may struggle to create many chances on goal without Joao Felix.
| A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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