EibarW: 3-0 vs. VillarrealW: 1-0 vs. BarcelonaW: 5-1 vs. GetafeW: 2-1 vs. SevillaW: 3-0 vs. WolfsburgL: 0-1 vs. Las PalmasW: 4-0 vs. EibarB/R UKTeam NewsFor Real Sociedad, a significant reshuffle will be required from Eusebio, with La Real missing a number of key figures. In defence, leading centre-back Martinez is sidelined with a knee injury, meaning Diego Reyes will likely drop back from midfield and into the heart of the back four alongside Mikel Gonzalez. Flanking that pair should be Aritz Elustondo and Yuri. In midfield, former Madrid man Asier Illarramendi should join Markel Bergara and possibly Ruben Pardo in a central trio, with a 4-3-3 looking likely given the necessity to use a false nine in attack.
But here, La Real won't look much like, well, La Real. Suspended, leading forward Carlos Vela will be missing. So too will strikers Jonathas and Imanol Agirretxe. Key centre-back Inigo Martinez is also out. "It's a pity we will be without [those players] but that doesn't take away any of our keenness, " said Eusebio on Friday. Though La Real's boss is obliged to say as much, he'll also know his side has little on the line here.
Twelfth in the table, safe with 42 points, Real Sociedad sit right in the middle of La Liga's we-don't-have-anything-left-to-play-for bunch, the threat of relegation gone but European places too far away. "As far as we are concerned there is no lack of desire and determination to compete to our best level, " added Eusebio, refuting such a suggestion. "There is always a lot to play for.
Indeed, as mentioned above, Eusebio will be without the suspended Vela and the injured striking pair of Jonathas and Agirretxe, meaning Mikel Oyarzabal could play a floating role in the centre of the attack, with David Zurutuza and Xabi Prieto candidates to take the wide berths. For Real Madrid, the major news, of course, is the absence of Ronaldo and Benzema through injury, while Kroos (rested) has also been left out of Zidane's 19-man squad. Consequently, a different-looking forward setup will be used by Zidane here, with Lucas Vazquez and Jese strong candidates to join Bale across the front line. In midfield, meanwhile, Casemiro returns from the one-game suspension that kept him out against Rayo Vallecano last weekend and should start in the anchor role, flanked by Luka Modric and Isco.
Also missing will be Toni Kroos (rested), while Zidane is expected to rotate as well. As such, Gareth Bale looks a little like a lone soldier for this one, just as he did last time out against Rayo. The encouraging part? That went pretty well. CURTO DE LA TORRE/Getty ImagesFor the hosts, meanwhile, Saturday's clash with Madrid has a curious feel to it. In normal circumstances, you'd expect Real Sociedad to give the men from the capital an attritional battle, given their recent history for doing just that against the elite and the upswing in form since Eusebio Sacristan replaced David Moyes.
"We know that it is going to be a complicated game at difficult stadium, " said Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane on Friday. "We will start the game knowing what we have to do: start strong. "Typically Madrid would like their chances of doing so and overwhelming the Basques, but for this clash, Zidane and Co. are heading north well below full strength. Indeed, both Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema will be absent because of injury and are in a race against time to be fit for Wednesday's crucial second leg against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.
Rayo Vallecano - Real Sociedad Live - La Liga - Eurosport
Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV InfoGonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty ImagesSo Take 3, then. After consecutive matchdays in which La Liga's trio of contenders have all gone at it in this suddenly juicy title race, one after another in frenetic strings of back-to-back-to-back affairs, here we are once more, ready to do it all over again for a third time in 10 days. On Saturday, Real Madrid start it all off in the afternoon's earliest kick-off, just as they did last weekend against Rayo Vallecano.
This time, Madrid's opponents are Real Sociedad at Anoeta, and soon afterward Atletico Madrid will play host to Rayo before Barcelona tackle Real Betis in Seville. Like Take 1 and Take 2, Take 3 is a compelling scenario: six hours, three crunch matches, everything on the line, zero margin for error. For Madrid, however, Saturday's trip north to San Sebastian strikes as the trickiest of the three. In recent times, Anoeta has been something of a graveyard for La Liga's elite. Earlier this month, Barcelona lost 1-0 in the home of Real Sociedad to extend their nine-year winless run at the ground, while last season all three of the Spain's title contenders inexplicably fell in a hole there.
"Saying it doesn't make it true, though. Match DetailsDate: Saturday, April 30Time: 3 p. m. BST/10 a. EDT/4 p. localVenue: Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastian, SpainTV Info: Sky Sports (UK—delayed broadcast), beIN Sports (U. S. )Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (U. )Form Lines Last 6 Results in All Competitions (most recent first)Real SociedadReal MadridD: 0-0 vs. VillarrealD: 0-0 vs. Manchester CityL: 1-2 vs. GetafeW: 3-2 vs. Rayo VallecanoL: 1-2 vs.
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