Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad

A massive La Liga encounter between the two in-form sides, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad, at the Metropolitano Stadium has all the makings of a European six-pointer.

Atletico Madrid took their trademark fighting spirit under Diego Simeone’s reign to a brand-new level these past seven days. After overturning a 2-0 deficit in a dramatic 3-2 home league victory over Cadiz last weekend, ‘Los Rojiblancos’ fought back twice to beat Feyenoord via the same scoreline in midweek Champions League action, making it four wins on the trot across all competitions. Barring an unfathomable 3-0 defeat at Valencia in mid-September, it’s been a dream La Liga start for Atletico Madrid (W5, D1, L1), but Simeone has every reason for optimism. His men have tallied three consecutive league wins in response to that disappointment, with a fourth potentially waiting in the wings, considering the Madridistas have won eight of their last ten top-flight H2Hs at home (D2).

It’s been over a decade since Real Sociedad last conquered the Metropolitano Stadium, but manager Imanol Alguacil might feel this could be their chance to turn the corner. A 2-0 Champions League triumph at RB Salzburg in midweek stretched the visitors’ winning streak across all competitions to four matches. The last three of them have come ‘to nil,’ including an emphatic 3-0 win over bitter Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao in the previous La Liga round. Since a 2-1 loss at Real Madrid almost a month ago, ‘La Real’ have gone into overdrive, winning three successive league games via an aggregate score of 8-3. Delivering action from the get-go, Alguacil’s men have been in front at halftime in eight of their ten competitive matches in 2023/24, highlighting the potential for a quick start.