The La Liga is proving out to be one of the most enticing this year and producing some of the top-quality performances ever produced in the history of the league. Almost 4-5 teams are now in the main contention for the top spot making the league more competitive as-well-as bewitching. With all these in mind, Real Madrid enters the most important phase of their 2021 fixtures with 3 big matches to play in the next week. And the Madrid side will be playing its first such game tomorrow.
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Real Madrid lock horns with Basque-side Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena tonight in what would be a decisive clash. Both the sides are looking in good shape since the start of the season and could well roll out a fiery encounter. Real Madrid is presently topping the La Liga charts with 36 points from 7 games, while Sociedad has only 29. To consolidate their position atop the table, Madrid just needs a win to affirm it. On the other hand, a win for the Sociedad team would take them to within a touching distance of Madrid.
It remains to be seen now whether the La Liga giants can live up to their epithet of being the kings of consistency and secure a much-needed away win over the Blues and Whites. Or will the home side play the role of perfect party spoilers and hand them a bitter defeat? The match gets underway at the Reale Arena tonight from 1:30 AM IST.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH OUT FOR
This rivalry between Sociedad and Madrid is also one of the oldest footballing rivalries of Spain. The mutual rivalry dates back to long before when the clash was carried out for the first time. Since then this clash has produced some epic thrillers and entertaining fixtures which are enough to attract viewers’ attention. If you are having a match like this at midnight, then you can be so sure of having goosebumps. It will be enough to turn the calm darkness of the night into an exciting enlightening one. So as it follows, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t watch this game between two of the most consistent sides in Spain currently. Both the teams are in desperate need of a win and cannot afford to have any slip up now. This fact ups the ante of the game even more. The fixture is certain to produce end-to-end action coupled with a goal-fest. So, what to wait for, tighten your seatbelts, and get ready to watch this battle of the two-Reals in Spain.
REAL MADRID
The Los Blancos are travelling to the San Sebastian Country after earning a hard-fought 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. They had to really toil for the three points, but in the end, could finally grab it. A fine Karim Benzema tap-in from close-range after the ball deflected off goalkeeper’s hands from Asensio’s shot, gave a 1-0 lead. After that, though Madrid brought up some good attacks in the later parts, they were unable to double the score. This is largely because the defensive superiority of the Basque side made life difficult for Madrid’s attackers. The match was though dominated by the home side, with 56% possession and 17 shots towards the opposition goal. No wonder that Madrid needs to lift their game by good margins in order to win against Sociedad tonight. Their defence has become a bit shaky and it’s largely due to Courtois’ masterclass, that Madrid escaped with three points. Ancelotti needs to work upon the defence and also tell his players not to miss easy chances in the final third. Ahead of a very tough game, we can expect Madrid to rectify their earlier mistakes and jump again for the three points. They are on a six game-winning run across all competitions and would like to maintain that definitely.
TEAM NEWS
It is difficult to find when Madrid are out of injuries in the recent past. But now they are having one such period where they don’t need to ponder about injuries much. Only Gareth Bale, who returned to the training, continues to remain on the sidelines. Dani Ceballos also remains out due to a long term ankle injury. The rest of the squad are fit and ready to feature in the match. We may experience some rotations in this game after playing 3 matches within 7 days.
PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR
KARIM BENZEMA
The Frenchman is in the form of his life and is on another level now for the Los Blancos. He is relieving his best form ever in his career this season in the white jersey. Across the top five leagues in Europe, he’s the player with the most G+A with 17goals and 8assists in 19 games. His work rate on the pitch is just sensational for a player of his age. Along with that, his heading capabilities, shooting prowess, goalscoring-proficiency and dribbling abilities makes him one of the best in the business. No wonder he is always the go-to man for Ancelotti in any game. In such important games, Benzema would be eager to prove his worth yet again.
THIBAUT COURTOIS
One of the best goalkeepers in the world right now, Thibaut “Wall-of-Madrid” Courtois is probably the eighth wonder of the world. The saves he makes every day for the Blancos is literally inhuman and only the BelgianCustodian can do it so consistently. Over the years, he has saved Madrid every time when it mattered the most. With over 66 saves already, the goalie hasn’t yet let the fragilities of Madrid defence be exposed. His reflex and anticipatory power is one that others thrive for. In such big games, it’s always Courtois who delivers the most. Ancelotti will once again depend on him to provide a good show Vs Sociedad.
HEAD TO HEAD
The two sides have met each other a record 157 times to date. Madrid, as it should be, have a clear advantage in the head-to-head record with 87 wins in their kitty. Sociedad has managed to grab 30 wins and the rest 40 ended with the score tied after full time.
In the last faceoff with the Basque side, a late Vinicius strike earned a 1-1 draw for the home side. This time, it’s definitely poised for something more interesting than the previous clashes.
IMPORTANT STATS
- Real Madrid have the best away record against Real Sociedad among all other Spanish top flight teams. They have grabbed 30 wins out of the 74 contested, a healthy 2:3 win loss ratio.
- Real Sociedad are unbeaten in their last 10 La Liga home games and have kept a clean sheet in 6 of those 7 matches.
- Real Madrid’s away record is also wonderful this season with 6 wins and 1 draw out of the total 8 played.
- The Los Blancos have been deadly in their trip to the San Sebastian, scoring a whopping 126 goals across all outings.
- Sociedad have the joint-best defensive record in the league along with Athletic Bilbao, conceding only 11 goals in 15 games. Madrid , on-the-other-hand are the side to score the most goals in the league with a total of 35 goals.
- The Los Txuri-Uridins have only registered 2 wins out of their last 14 encounters with Madrid. The last came way back in 2019.
REAL SOCIEDAD
The Los Txuri-Uridins are coming onto this match after suffering a terrible 0-1 away loss to Espanyol. They would be quite disappointed with the way they performed against a newly promoted team. Defensive midfielder Youngel Herrera’s goal proved to be the decisive one and it handed his side an important win. Although, the Blues and whites were totally dominant throughout the match having 61% possession and 10 shots towards the opposition goal. But out of the 10, only four were on target and it literally exposed the offensive fragility of the team. Despite having two-star strikers in Isak and Oyarzabal, they are finding it difficult to score since the last few games. And it is certainly an area where Alguacil needs to give his watchful eyes. After making a promising start to the La Liga, Sociedad has really lost its way after the October international break. If they are to remain in the top four, they need to find a way out of this calamitous position. They have won only two of their last five La Liga games and also across all competitions. In the meantime, the Basque side has digested two gruelling defeats too. Let’s see if they can turn the tide against Madrid and shock the 34-time La Liga champions.
Team News
The San Sebastian based side do have a host of injury concerns in the team. Star midfield duo of Mikel Merino and David Silva is out of the clash owing to injuries. Defender Nacho Monreal and Alex Sola are also expected to remain on the sidelines in this fixture apart from these players, Alguacil has all of his players available for selection.
PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR
ALEXANDER ISAK
The Swedish striker is in sensational form for the San Sebastian based side this season. He has always proved himself to be the best for his side upfront. With over 6 goals and 2 assists, this young lad is a headache for the opposition defenders. His down the middle runs, positioning sense, as well as consistency, makes him an asset for his team. Against Madrid, Alguacil will expect his star man to provide him with the goals upfront. His partnership with Oyarzabal is also deadly.
Martin Zubimendi
The young Spanish sensation has turned out to be one of the best defensive midfielders this season in La Liga. His stats might not be so rich, but the impact that he brings to the game is immense. He is one of the best dm’s of the LaLiga after Casemiro, Canales and as such. He can control the whole of midfield and maintain a swift transition between attack and defence. His duel with Casemiro could well be the decisive factor in the match. He will be looking to produce another solid show on the board and help his side to a win.
CONCLUSION
In all respects, this game is going to be an enthralling and mesmerising one for the fans. Supporters always wait to see such enticing games which will be action-packed, eventful and a goal-fest. Real Madrid will be eager to continue their 10 games unbeaten streak in the league and also extend their time at the tabletop. Real Sociedad also will be eager to put their season back on track after a string of below-par performances. Expect a fierce encounter to unfold at the magical Reale Arena tonight.
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