ATLETICO Madrid suffered a humbling midweek Champions League defeat against Benfica and will be looking for a positive response in La Liga action this weekend. Here we preview their trip to Real Sociedad on Sunday, October 6th from the Spanish top flight.
How the bookies view it: Atleti to bank the points
As the odds against 13/10 favourites, the bookmakers expect that Atlético Madrid will be made to work hard for maximum points in this match, as their overall form has taken a dip as of late. However, with Sociedad having only just snapped a long winless streak last weekend, the home team's form doesn’t inspire confidence from a 23/10 quote that they'll bank the points.
Recent head-to-head: Sociedad’s struggles to topple Atleti
Real Sociedad are without a win in nine La Liga matches against Atlético Madrid and have lost the last three on the bounce against them, conceding exactly two goals in each. Real Sociedad have earned just one point from their last three home games against Atletico. Both teams have scored in four of the previous five meetings across all competitions, which is a 21/20 option for this weekend’s meeting, with Sociedad scoring in three of their four home fixtures so far this season.
Players to watch: Dynamo Gallagher to drive Atleti to success?
Connor Gallagher gave away a penalty during Atletico’s heavy midweek loss against Benfica. But he has been a bright spark of the team under Diego Simeone since his move to Spain and he’s the type of player that can pick the team back up. His endless running and marauding forays to support attacks could see him pop up with a vital contribution while Sociedad's defence are preoccupied with other threats.
Gallagher is obviously not one of the leading goalscorer picks, but has appeal from 17/2 to get on the scoresheet, certainly ahead of the likes of Julian Alvarez who has struggled since his move to Atleti.
Real Sociedad saw the best of Orri Steinn Oskarsson last weekend, whose brace in a 3-0 win over Valencia earned them just their second league win of the season. He is their leading goalscorer option from 11/4 to carry on his good form.
Predicted Lineups
Real Sociedad have one of the best rates of possession in La Liga this season (55%), and the longer they can keep Atletico Madrid off the scoresheet the better, so they will need some big performances by defender Javi Lopez and keeper Remiro. Atletico Madrid will have to be without Robin Le Normand after a serious head injury suffered in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Real Madrid.
Real Sociedad: Remiro, Zubeldia, Javi Lopez, Aguerd, Aramburu, Zubimendi, Barrenetxea, Kubo, Gomez, Oskarsson, Oyarzabal
Atlético Madrid: Oblak, Gimenez, Molina, Reinildo, Javi Galan, Connor Gallagher, De Paul, Llorente, Griezmann, Sorloth, Alvarez
Anything else catches the eye?
The only two wins that Real Sociedad have taken this season have happened against teams currently down in the bottom four. So seeing them pull off an upset in this one doesn’t look too likely, and the bookmakers appear to have their lines just about right.
Sociedad have shipped exactly two goals in three of their four home matches this season, so it may be worth pushing Over 2.5 Goals at 31/20. That’s down to Atlético having lost their key centre half Le Normand and Sociedad averaging 1.25 goals per home game.
It’s tough to see a convincingly large win happening for Atletico though, who have won one of their last four in all competitions. Therefore, a sensible option of an Atletico 1 Goal Margin win falls onto the radar at 3/1.
This La Liga match between Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid will be played on Oct 6, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Sociedad vs Atletico Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
