Sorloth, Alexander
De Paul, Rodrigo
Atletico Madrid host Real Sociedad on Sunday evening as the penultimate round of La Liga fixtures draws to a close.
Third-placed Atletico Madrid have already secured UEFA Champions League football for next season and could still finish as runners-up to Barcelona, with Real Madrid sitting just one point above Diego Simeone’s side.
Boasting a five-point lead over fifth-placed Villarreal, Real Sociedad look set to join Atletico in next season’s edition of the Champions League, although the Basque outfit still have work to do in that regard.
It would not be unfair to say that Atletico Madrid have stuttered in recent weeks, taking four points from their last three matches, with a shock 1-0 defeat to basement dwellers Elche preceding a 3-3 draw at Espanyol in midweek.
Los Colchoneros found themselves 3-0 up against Espanyol on Wednesday, courtesy of strikes from Saul Niguez, Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco, but the hosts ended up snatching a point by scoring three goals in the space of 15 second-half minutes.
Still, there is no hiding the fact that Atleti have won 14 of their previous 19 league outings. Thanks to a 12-game unbeaten streak between January and April, Simeone is on course to add another standout campaign to his collection.
On the topic of impressive campaigns, Real Sociedad look set to bring Champions League football back to San Sebastian for the first time since 2013-14, having enjoyed a hugely impressive season up to now.
Indeed, La Real have lost just eight of their 36 La Liga clashes this term, conceding a measly 32 goals along the way. As a result, only Barcelona and Atletico have suffered fewer defeats and conceded fewer goals than Imanol’s side this season.
Sociedad claimed a 1-0 victory over Almeria on Tuesday, courtesy of a first-half strike from 21-year-old Japanese forward Takefusa Kubo, who has now bagged nine goals and nine assists across all competitions this term.
Having avoided defeat in each of their previous seven matches – picking up five victories in the process – Real Sociedad will fancy their chances of frustrating Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
After all, La Real have already held Atleti to a 1-1 draw this season. When you look at the bigger picture, the Basque outfit have lost just one of their last four meetings with Simeone’s side, securing a 2-0 victory over Atletico in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals last year.
In terms of team news, Atletico Madrid could be without as many as six first-team players this weekend, with Thomas Lemar, Memphis Depay, Jan Oblak, Marcos Llorente, Stefan Savic and Reinildo Mandava currently sidelined through injury.
Real Sociedad have reported no fresh injury problems ahead of Sunday’s clash, although Umar Sadiq and Martin Merquelanz remain long-term absentees.
La Liga fans in the UK can enjoy Sunday’s clash by tuning in to Viaplay Sports Online.
Expert Insight: Having won each of their last eight games at Civitas Metropolitano – scoring 24 goals while keeping four clean sheets – Atletico Madrid’s home form is exceptional. However, Champions League-chasing Real Sociedad will back themselves to snatch a share of the spoils as they bid to secure a top-four berth.
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