Athletic vs Real Sociedad Prediction: La Liga match on 15.04.2023

Fourth-placed Real Sociedad will travel to the San Mames Barrie on Saturday to face Athletic Club in La Liga from 14:15 GMT. 

  

With the fight for the top four in La Liga hotting up in the run-in, Sociedad will look to maintain their status in fourth by winning away from home and keeping the chasing pack at bay.

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Athletic Club, who are 11 points behind Sociedad on the table, will look to fortify their chances of qualifying for Europe next season by taking three points at home. 

Key Highlights

Athletic Club Chances of Qualifying for Europe Next Season

Athletic Club are currently seventh on the La Liga table with 40 points. They are 11 points behind fourth-placed Real Sociedad. Therefore, Ernesto Valverde and his charges will have a mountain to climb if they are to make it to the top four.

A more realistic target will be making it into the Europa League or the Europa Conference League competitions through league position at the end of the season.

This will be the focus for Valverde and his men when they host Real Sociedad on Saturday.

Real Sociedad’s Top Four Chase

Imanol Alguacil and his men have their sights on finishing inside the top four this season and playing in the Champions League next season.

With the chasing duo of Villarreal (fifth) and Real Betis (sixth) hitting their stride, Sociedad will need to be flawless in the business end to retain their top-four status.

The focus will be winning their matches, starting with the trip to Athletic Club on Saturday; consistency will be key to any team aiming to finish in the top four.

Injury Report

Athletic

Ernesto Valverde will be without left winger Job Morcillo; the 24-year-old is recovering from a collarbone fracture he suffered on February 27, 2023. Morcillo has missed 7 matches for Athletic, and the club’s medical team have not set the return date for the player.

Athletic will also be without the right-back Inigo Lekue. The fullback is sidelined with a hamstring injury he suffered on March 6, 2023. The 29-year-old has missed five matches for the San Mames side and is unlikely to make a comeback in the clash against Sociedad on Saturday.

Real Sociedad

Imanol Alguacil will miss three Real Sociedad players when he picks the matchday squad to face Athletic Club on Saturday.

Center-forward Umar Sadiq is out with a cruciate ligament rupture. The 26-year-old has missed 35 matches for Sociedad so far this season.

Real Sociedad will also be without center-back Aritz Elustonod, with the 29-year-old sidelined with an ankle injury. Left winger Martin Merquelanz is recovering from a knee injury, with the 27-year-old expected to be unavailable for Saturday’s clash.

  

Possible Lineups

Athletic

U. Simon; Y. Berchiche, I. Martinez, D. Vivian, O. de Marcos; M. Vesga, D. Garcia; Alex Berenguer, O. Sancet, I. Williams; G. Guruzeta

Real Sociedad

Alex Remiro; A. Gorosabel, R. Le Normand, J. Pacheco, A. Munoz; A. Guevara; B. Mendez, M. Merino; D. Silva; T. Kubo, M. Oyarzabal

Prediction

Playing at home, Athletic Club will seek to dominate the match by controlling the midfield and launching their attacks through quick play switches. 

They will employ a low-to-medium press to win possession as soon as they lose it. However, they will remain a narrow, compact shape out of possession, making it hard to play through them down the middle.

Real Sociedad will be pragmatic in playing away from home. This approach will allow them to retain enough players behind the ball to deal with attacking transitions. 

They will fall back and defend in numbers out of position while committing players forward for their attacks.

A draw is the likely result in this clash. Shared points will not impress either side but will go a long way to driving them forward in the run-in.

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