LaLiga 2022-23: Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad- Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Two of the top four go against each other, aiming for a strong finish in the Europe qualification race

Atletico Madrid are in third place in the league table at the moment and have been consistent in their recent meetings against the LaLiga roster. Los Colchoneros drew against Espanyol in a thrilling 3-3 scoreline in their previous game and will be facing their next opponent, Real Sociedad.

Atletico Madrid have a good record against Real Sociedad and have won 20 out of the 38 matches played between the two teams. The previous meeting between the two teams took place in September 2022 last year and ended in a 1-1 stalemate on Sociedad’s home turf. Diego Simeone's men in LaLiga (W3 D1), conceding just seven goals in each of the last five, have been attacking resiliently and are just playing some free-flowing football.

Real Sociedad are currently in fourth place in the La Liga standings and are hitting their stride in the competition. The Basque outfit edged Almeria to an important 1-0 victory on Tuesday and will look to achieve a similar result in this match.

Real Sociedad have managed 13 defeats against Atletico Madrid in the past decade and will look to cut the deficit in this match. Real Sociedad have not reached the Champions League for a decade, but Imanol Alguacil's side can qualify for Europe's premier competition with just two more points from their remaining two La Liga games.

Kick-Off:

Sunday, 28-05-2023, 01:00 pm (ET) at Estadio Civitas Metropolitano

Form:

Atletico Madrid (In all competitions): D-W-L-W-W

Real Sociedad (In all competitions): W-W-D-W-W

Player to watch

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

With his loan spell coming to an end, he will be looking to make his last two competitions special. He has scored 13 goals in 36 matches so far in LaLiga 2022-2023. His total G/A (goals + assists) is 27 for this season, which makes him irreplaceable, and his shoes will be the biggest to fill. He has been a frequent threat up front and is currently either scoring or assisting like a magician. He and Alvaro Morata (13 goals) are in a bit of a competition in their own this season.

Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad)

The Spanish midfielder has finally seemed like a player Sociedad signed five years ago from Newcastle and is having one of the most defining seasons as the second-highest assister in La Liga 2022–23 (09), only behind Griezmann (12), and has been involved in 13 goals in total.

He has been an excellent player this season, distributing the ball from the middle of the pitch and making David Silva and Kubo look more dangerous. Looking into his passing aspect of the game, he passes the ball roughly 52.44 times during a game, with a pass completion rate of 77.38%. He will be their one to watch next season, looking at the potential he has when playing in Europe.

Match Facts

• Only Real Betis (182) have led for more minutes in LaLiga this season than Real Sociedad (136).
• Real Sociedad's David Silva has scored three goals against Atlético de Madrid in LaLiga, his highest tally against the same opponent in the competition (he also three against Real Valladolid and Real Zaragoza).
• Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil has lost four of his eight LaLiga games in charge against Atlético de Madrid’s Diego Simeone (W2 D2), his highest number of defeats against a single manager in the top-flight.

Injury & Team News

Atletico Madrid: Injury: J. Oblak (knock), M. Depay (calf muscle strain), whereas S. Savic, T. Lemar, and Marcos Llorente are all sidelined due to hamstring problems.

Real Sociedad: Injury: M. Marquelanz (knee injury) and U. Sadiq (MCL knee ligament)

Head-to-Head

Matches – 31

Real Sociedad – 8

Atletico Madrid – 18

Draws – 5

Predicted Lineups

Atletico Madrid predicted lineup (5-3-2)

Grbic, A. Witsel, J. Gimenez, Hermoso, N. Molina, De Paul, Koke, Saul, Carrasco, Griezmann, Morata

Real Sociedad predicted lineup (4-1-3-2)

Remiro, A. Munoz, Le Normand, Zubeldia, Gorosabel, M. Oyarzabal, M. Merino, Zubimendi, T. Kubo, C. Fernandez, D. Silva  

Match Prediction for Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad have found it difficult against Atletico in their recent meetings, and we can back the hosts with real confidence here. Atletico were strong in their last game but should have picked up another three points but failed to defend the lead after going 3-0 up. Real Sociedad have not won in their last five games against Real Sociedad, who were not at their best on the day and will need to step up this weekend. A great match is expected with Atletico having the edge but a leaking defence.

Prediction: Atletico Madrid 3 – 2 Real Sociedad

Telecast

India – Jio TV

USA – ESPN+

United Kingdom – Free Sports

Nigeria – Supersport, StarTimes, Canal+