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Real Sociedad vs Sevilla: Preview and projected lineups

By Thuya Kyaw

May 24, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Real Sociedad midfielder Ruben Pardo (14) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the second half against the Houston Dynamo at Compass Stadium. The Dynamo won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
May 24, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Real Sociedad midfielder Ruben Pardo (14) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the second half against the Houston Dynamo at Compass Stadium. The Dynamo won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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In form Sociedad look to keep pace with top four

One of the most interesting matches in Spain will take place this Saturday when the fifth place Real Sociedad host third place Sevilla in their intimidating home ground Anoeta.

The hosts have been very strong this season, especially at home. They have yet to lose a match at Anoeta since the opening day and gotten some great results there, such as beating Atletico Madrid and Villarreal while drawing with Barcelona.

Although things are looking all good and well for Eusebio Sacristan now, it hasn’t always been this way. La Real have started the season very poorly, losing up to four matches out of the first eight. However, since losing to their bitter regional rivals Athletic Bilbao in the 16th of October, Sacristan’s men have turned their season around exceptionally.

They have gone on to win six out of the next eight games afterward, only slip ups being the home draw against Barcelona and losing away to Deportivo La Coruna where they were blown away by a scoreline of 5-1.

Sevilla are also having a great season under former Chile boss Jorge Sampaoli, who has led the Andalusians to the third place in the table just trailing behind Barcelona. The Argentine coach has also cured the club’s inability to win away from home under the former boss Unai Emery, which is helping the Andalusian club to rack up some valuable points.

The hosts will continue to miss out on services of forward Imanol Agirretxe, midfielder Markel Bergara, and defender Carlos Martinez due to injuries. Sacristan will likely stick with the similar eleven that started against Villarreal on Wednesday’s Copa del Rey fixture, with the exception being center back Raul Navas coming back in the place of Mikel Gonzalez.

Meanwhile Sevilla have recently completed signing of French defender Clement Lenglet for five million euros from Nancy and he is in the squad that will be traveling to San Sebastian. Another good news for the fans is that Adil Rami’s red card from the last league match has been lifted and he will be eligible to take part in this game. On the other hand, the center back Timothee Kolodziejczak have officially departed the club to join Borussia Monchengladbach for 7.5 million euros.

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The previous meetings have all gone to the favor of the hosts, with Sociedad winning four of last five home games against the Andalusian side. Although Sampaoli has broken the curse of Sevilla struggling to find a win in away games, it will be tough for them to find full three points in Basque Country. The team also looks to be in low morale after suffering a 3-0 loss against Real Madrid on Wednesday and might suffer from fatigue due to playing second away game in just four days. Although Sampaoli will try to be defensive and aggressive to get a result, the hosts should still come out with a tight win.

Projected Line ups

Real Sociedad (4-3-3) – Rulli; Yuri, Inigo Martinez, Raul Navas, Zaldua; Zurutuza, Illarramendi, Prieto; Oyarzabal, WIlliam Jose, Vela.

Sevilla (5-4-1) – Rico; Escudero, Rami, Pareja, Mercado, Mariano; Vitolo, Nasri, N’Zonzi, Franco Vasquez; Ben Yedder.

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