Real Sociedad will be aiming to book their spot in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey when they take on third-tier outfit Ponferradina on Sunday afternoon.
The visitors suffered a 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo in their last match in La Liga before the winter break, but Ponferradina will bring a four-game winning run into the clash in the last-32 stage of the Copa del Rey.
Match preview
Ponferradina play their league football in Spain's third tier, but they have spent 10 seasons in the second tier during their history, last competing at that level in 2022-23 before being relegated.
La Deportiva will bring a four-game winning run into this match, with a strong league campaign to date leaving them in third spot in Group 1 of the Primera Division RFEF, six points behind the leaders Cultural Leonesa.
Javi Rey's side have beaten Escobedo and Castellon, both on penalties, in the early rounds of this season's Copa del Rey, and they are aiming to progress to the round of 16 for the first time in their history.
Ponferradina are unbeaten on home soil in all competitions since September 22, but this will undoubtedly be their toughest test of the campaign, as the team currently seventh in the La Liga table make the trip to Estadio El Toralin.
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Real Sociedad suffered a 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo last time out, while they were also held to a goalless draw by Las Palmas on December 15, so the Basque outfit have just one point to show from their last two league games.
A total of 25 points from 18 La Liga fixtures has left them in seventh spot in the table, five points behind sixth-placed Mallorca and 11 from Athletic Bilbao in fourth, with Imanol Alguacil's side having their problems this season.
The White and Blues have a lot on their plate at the moment, as they are also battling to reach the next stage of the Europa League, with the team currently 12th in the overall table, boasting 10 points from six matches.
It would be fair to say that the Copa del Rey is third on their list of priorities this season, but this is a competition that the club have won on three occasions, including in 2019-20, when they overcame Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao in the final.
Alguacil's side have made the quarter-finals twice and semi-finals in their last three campaigns, meanwhile, so it would be a surprise if they were not present in the latter stages of the tournament.
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Team News
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Ponferradina head coach Rey could name the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Castellon in the previous round of the competition, with squad players expected to be rewarded once again.
Jose Luis Cortes has only scored twice in 17 appearances during the 2024-25 campaign, but he is set to continue in the final third of the field, while there should also be a spot in the XI for Yeray Cabanzon.
As for Real Sociedad, Arsen Zakharyan, Aritz Elustondo and Hamari Traore are out of the contest through injury, while Alvaro Odriozola remains a doubt due to a muscular problem.
Head coach Alguacil will ring the changes for this fixture, with Orri Oskarsson likely to operate through the middle, while there should also be spots in the side for Sheraldo Becker and Pablo Marin.
There remains speculation surrounding Martin Zubimendi's future, with the midfielder believed to be on Manchester City's radar this month, and he is expected to be among those rested by the La Liga side this weekend.
Ponferradina possible starting lineup:
Jimenez; Jorrin, Novoa, Lanco, A Lopez; Doue, Lozano; Gomez, Valle, Cabanzon; Cortes
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Marrero; Munoz, Martin, Pacheco, J Lopez; Olasagasti, Gonzalez, Marin; Becker, Oskarsson, Kubo
We say: Ponferradina 0-2 Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad have scored six times and conceded zero in their two Copa del Rey matches this season, and we are fully expecting the Basque side to secure another victory here in order to progress to the last-16 stage of the competition.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
