Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad Soccer Preview & Odds
Basque Derby Returns
Rivals Fighting for UCL
The Basque Derby is one of the biggest rivalries in Spain and features Athletic Club and Real Sociedad. Athletic Club, from Bilbao, is one of the most successful teams in Spanish history but recent rivalry matches have been quite close. Heading into Saturday’s Basque Derby in Bilbao, Athletic Club are in fourth place in La Liga and Real Sociedad are in sixth. Both sides are fighting for Champions League places but Bilbao hold a six point lead over Sociedad at the moment. We’ll take a closer look at the odds and team news for the match in our Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad soccer preview.
Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad
Day/Time:
Location: Estadio de San Mames, Bilbao, Spain
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Head-to-Head
In the reverse fixture, back in September, Real Sociedad made the most of their chances and came away with a 3-0 win. Robin Le Normand, Takefusa Kubo and Mikel Oyarzabal got on the scoresheet for the hosts. The pre match La Liga odds listed Sociedad as +120 moneyline favorites.
The home team has won each of the last four meetings between the sides and hasn’t lost in any of the last six. Over the last ten meetings, in all competitions, Real Sociedad hold a 5-2-3 record vs Athletic Club.
Athletic Club Making Case for Champions League
Athletic Club went on the road to second-tier side SD Eibar in the Copa del Rey round of 32 on Sunday. Bilbao came away with a 3-0 win and scored all of their goals in the first half.
Asier Villalibre scored twice and in a rare start, longtime winger Iker Muniain also got on the scoresheet. Nico Williams also caused a lot of problems for Eibar down the right wing. Our Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad soccer preview notes the shutout was Athletic Club’s sixth in their last seven matches, in all competitions.
Bilbao also head into the weekend on a three-game La Liga winning streak. Keeper Unai Simon, who is Spain’s number one, has kept the most shutouts in the league, with nine. He’s managed to keep clean sheets in each of the last two Basque Derbies at the San Mames as well.
Not many preseason La Liga predictions had Athletic Club in the top four but they’re making a strong case for the Champions League at the moment.
Athletic Club are currently in fourth place, ahead of Atletico Madrid on goal difference. They’re also on a nine-game La Liga unbeaten run and have lost just three times this campaign.
Iñaki Williams and Gorka Guruzeta are joint-leading scorers, with eight La Liga goals. However, Williams is away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana. Meanwhile, Dani Garcia and Yeray Alvarez are injured.
Real Sociedad Struggling to Score
Real Sociedad also advanced in the Copa del Rey on Sunday. They went down south to Malaga and eked out a 1-0 win. In the second half, a Malaga defender inadvertently headed the ball into his own net for the game’s only goal. Sociedad have struggled to score goals in general as of late.
They’ve scored just seven goals in their last nine games, in all competitions. Somehow, they’re unbeaten during that stretch and haven’t lost any of their last 12 games.
Currently, Real Sociedad are in sixth place in the La Liga standings and on a seven-game unbeaten run in the league. They’ve drawn each of their last three La Liga games and four of their last five. Like Bilbao, they’ve also kept six clean sheets in their last seven matches, in all competitions.
Sociedad keeper Alex Remiro ranks third in La Liga, with seven clean sheets this season. However, Remiro will miss this match due to a suspension and Unai Marrero could start in his place.
Sociedad recently finished on top of their Champions League group, ahead of 2022-23 finalists Inter Milan, and are an incredibly difficult team to beat. This La Liga season, captain Mikel Oyzarzabal leads the team with seven La Liga goals.
Takefusa Kubo has added six of his own but he’s away at the AFC Asian Cup with Japan. Meanwhile Hamari Traore and Umar Sadiq are at AFCON. Defender Aritz Elustondo is also out injured.
Match Analysis & Odds
The Basque Derby is always fiery and Athletic Club will be highly motivated to avoid dropping two La Liga games in one season to their rivals. Here, Bilbao are even money ATS and moneyline favorites in what could be a close and low-scoring match. Meanwhile, Real Sociedad +0.5 comes in at -120 odds and the Txuri-Urdin are +295 moneyline underdogs.
Over 2, 2.5 goals display -112 goals while under 2, 2.5 is priced at -108. Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad soccer previews mention that just one of Sociedad’s last nine matches in all competitions has finished with three goals or more.
With how well both La Liga teams are playing defensively, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if one goal wins it. However, the last five meetings between the two sides have averaged three goals.
None of the last four meetings have finished in a draw but one sits at +250 odds for Saturday’s Basque Derby. Sociedad do have a few key players out for this one, including Kubo and starting keeper Remiro. Athletic Club will feel confident about their chances to grab all three points and remain in the top four.
For La Liga betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
