Aiming to bounce back from successive defeats, Real Sociedad will continue their La Liga campaign with a contest against capital outfit Getafe at Anoeta Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts will enter the contest off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Lazio in the Europa League, while Getafe held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in La Liga last weekend, which made it four matches unbeaten this year for Jose Bordalas' side.
Match preview
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Real Sociedad started 2025 with three straight wins in all competitions, beating Villarreal in La Liga either side of two Copa del Rey successes, which booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
However, Imanol Alguacil's side have now lost their last two, going down 1-0 to Valencia in La Liga last weekend, before suffering a 3-1 loss to Lazio in the Europa League on Thursday night.
La Real are 18th in the Europa League table, but they are not yet sure of a playoff spot, with the team needing to pick up a positive result in their final match in the league phase against PAOK next week.
In La Liga, Real Sociedad are seventh, boasting a record of eight wins, four draws and eight defeats from 20 matches, which has seen them pick up 28 points, two points behind sixth-placed Mallorca.
The Basque outfit have been inconsistent on home soil this term, only picking up 14 points from their 10 matches in front of their own fans, but they will be welcoming a Getafe outfit that have only managed one away La Liga success this term.
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Getafe have had a strong start to 2025, posting three straight wins at the start of the year, beating Las Palmas 2-1 in La Liga either side of Copa del Rey successes over Granada and Pontevedra, so they are also present in the quarter-finals.
Bordalas' side picked up another strong result last weekend, holding Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in La Liga, with Mauro Arambarri cancelling out an opener from Jules Kounde at Estadio Coliseum.
The Deep Blue Ones are still down in 16th spot in the La Liga table, though, only picking up 20 points from 20 matches, which has left them one point clear of the relegation zone.
Goals have been a major issue for both of these sides this season, with Getafe the joint-lowest scorers in La Liga during the 2024-25 campaign with 14, while Real Sociedad have only managed 17, which is the third-worst record.
Both have been solid defensively, though, with Real Sociedad having the second-best defensive record, conceding only 14, while Getafe's 17 conceded is the third-best record, so all of the signs are pointing towards a low-scoring affair.
Team News
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Real Sociedad will welcome Jon Aramburu back into their squad, with the defender serving a league suspension last time out, but Hamari Traore remains unavailable due to a knee injury.
Brais Mendez is available, as his substitution in the first half against Lazio was a tactical decision, and head coach Alguacil is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack here.
It is likely that there will be an introduction in the final third of the field, though, with Ander Barrenetxea potentially coming in for a start.
Getafe may be without the services of Arambarri due to a minor injury which he suffered against Barcelona, while Allan Nyom will again be unavailable for selection due to a muscular problem.
Due to the manner of the performance against Barcelona last time out, it could be a case of same again for this match, proving that Arambarri is able to overcome the problem which forced him off the field in the 1-1 draw.
Borja Mayoral is fit, but Getafe are being careful with the Spaniard due to his injury issues, so it is likely that there will be another start in the final third of the field for Christantus Uche.
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Aguerd, Munoz; Kubo, Mendez, Zubimendi, Sucic, Barrenetxea; Oyarzabal
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Iglesias, Duarte, Alderete, Rico; Alena, Arambarri, Dakonam, Milla, Coba; Uche
We say: Real Sociedad 0-0 Getafe
Both teams are strong defensively but struggle in the final third of the field, so we are not expecting this to be a thriller; it was 0-0 in the reverse game earlier this season, and we can see the same scoreline occurring on Sunday afternoon.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.