La Liga: Basque Derby Rivals to Bring Out the Fireworks

Real Sociedad vs Athletic Bilbao

One of the biggest games on the eighth matchday of the 2023-24 Spanish top-flight campaign is the Basque Derby duel between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao, which will take place at the Anoeta Stadium on Saturday night.

These two age-old rivals are within arm’s length of each other in the La Liga standings, with Athletic Bilbao in fourth place with 14 points, while Real Sociedad are the sixth seed with 12 points.

The recent results for Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao have been similar, as both sides have won three out of their last five. Most recently, Los Leones were held to a 2-2 draw against Getafe, while La Real defeated Valencia 1-0 yesterday.

SBOTOP football fans can expect another cagey affair between La Real and Los Leones, with valuable points and bragging rights on the line.

Talking Points

Kubo off to a brilliant start

Real Sociedad’s campaign started off slowly with three consecutive draws against Girona, Celta Vigo, and Las Palmas, but they managed to pick it up lately with three wins in their last four league outings.

A huge reason why their form has improved is Takefusa Kubo, who currently leads the team with four goals and one assist.

He opened his account this season in their 1-1 draw against Girona before recording a brace in their 5-3 victory against Granada and notching a quick goal in their 4-3 success against Getafe on Sunday.

Kubo has thrived under Imanol Alguacil’s system, where he finally has the green light to express himself. He’s far from a finished article as he just turned 22 years old this year, but he continues to get better, especially as he grows into his body.

More importantly, he has formed a great partnership with the likes of Ander Barrenetxea, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Brais Mendez, which explains why the team has been much better in the final third.

Kubo was given the day off against Valencia, so he should be recalled into the starting XI this weekend. Meanwhile, Alguacil might finally give Andre Silva his Real Sociedad debut after missing the first few games due to a thigh injury.

The Portuguese striker certainly has a chip on his shoulder because he was loaned out by his parent club, RB Leipzig, this summer after an underwhelming 2022-23 campaign.

Key losses for Athletic Bilbao

Like Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao began the season slowly, losing 2-0 against Real Madrid. However, since then, they have gone undefeated in six consecutive league games to take a top-four spot.

The goals have been spread around so far this season, with their iron man, Inaki Williams, leading the way with four goals and two assists. However, given that they will be without a bunch of their key players on Saturday, he may have to put Los Leones on his back once more.

Midfielder Oihan Sancet was sent off against Getafe after a horror challenge on Jose Angel Carmona. Los Leones have submitted an appeal for this, but the expectation is that it will fall on deaf ears.

Other than Sancet, Ernesto Valverde’s side is expected to be without the services of Nico Williams, Peru Nolaskoain, and Inigo Ruiz de la Galarreta.

History

Saturday marks the 190^th edition of the Basque Derby, although it’s weird to know that these two clubs have never faced off in UEFA or other international competitions, nor in the Spanish Supercup.

In the 189 matches that they shared previously, Athletic Bilbao have the edge with 78 wins, while Real Sociedad have won 61 times along with 50 draws.

Last season, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad split their two meetings, with the latter winning 3-1 in January and the former winning 2-0 in April.

Athletic Bilbao haven’t defeated Real Sociedad at the Anoeta Stadium since a 2-0 success in March 2017. For the past six years, La Real have won four and drawn twice at home against Los Leones.

Betting Tip

We noted earlier that this is going to be a tight contest, and the updated La Liga 2023 odds seem to agree. Real Sociedad are given the edge at 2.25, while Athletic Bilbao are at 2.95 odds to win, and a draw is installed at 3.20 in the 1X2 market.

With both sides in strong form lately, this matchup is a tough call, so any result shouldn’t be ruled out.

However, we feel that the safest bet is going for Total Goal 2-3 at 1.92 because Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao are capable of putting up new La Liga 2023 highlights.

 

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