Real Sociedad vs Sevilla

Reale Arena is the venue as Real Sociedad and Sevilla go head-to-head in an exciting La Liga fixture.

Real Sociedad’s pursuit of a second consecutive top-four finish in La Liga got back on the rails before the international break as a 3-1 win at rock-bottom Almeria saw them end a two-game winless league run (D1, L1). That success forms part of Sociedad’s unbeaten top-flight record against sides starting the round 14th or beneath (W5, D3) this season, which bodes well for their bid to post a third consecutive victory against Sevilla. Before slumping to a stoppage-time loss to Barcelona in their most recent home league outing, ‘La Real’ had won four successive La Liga fixtures in San Sebastian. Yet, they’ve developed a habit of dropping points with late goals conceded, as has been the case against Atletico Madrid (L) and Rayo Vallecano (D) beforehand.

Visiting Sevilla headed into the two-week hiatus on the back of five La Liga draws on the trot, four of which saw them close out the scoring, which could be a decisive factor this weekend. However, ‘Los Rojiblancos’ have yet to find justification for appointing Diego Alonso as their new chief of staff as he’s yet to taste success against a top-flight opponent (D4, L20. Stuck only four points clear of the relegation zone, the struggling Andalusian heavyweights take this trip seeking their first La Liga victory on hostile turf after seven straight failed attempts (D4, L3), a run that includes a 2-1 defeat at Real Sociedad in last season’s final round. It’s also worth noting that they only managed one clean sheet during that seven-game sequence.