Our prediction for this Primera Division match:
All eyes will be on Reale Arena when Real Sociedad and Real Madrid face each other in the La Liga derby. La Real suffered an unexpected 1-0 loss to Espanyol at the weekend, with the team dropping to third place in the standings. The Basques aim to get back on course as soon as possible, and they are likely to leave their hearts on the field. Defender Aritz Elustondo is back from suspension, while all Mikel Merino, David Silva, Alex Sola, and Nacho Monreal remain in the recovery room.
Los Blancos, on the other hand, came from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1 at the weekend, with Karim Benzema becoming the highest-scoring Frenchman in the history of club football. Real Madrid are eager to retain top position, but seeing that Real Sociedad are tough to beat at home, the share of spoils is on the cards. Both Dani Ceballos and Gareth Bale miss out with injuries, while Eden Hazard should be fit for the match.
Highlighted Player (Mikel Oyarzabal):
Intelligence is not an attribute you will find in Mikel Oyarzabal’s stats with Real Sociedad but this tricky winger is a highly knowledgeable winger who will use both brain and feet while playing. For a player born in Eibar, who made his first steps in his hometown club, it was always going to be a choice between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad for Oyarzabal.
La Real saw their chance and grabbed this gem of a player at a young age, helping him develop into a proper professional throughout their youth ranks. Mikel Oyarzabal has spent the entirety of his senior career with the Basque behemoths where he’d use his ability to fill in a number of positions up top much to his own benefit.
Oyarzabal’s positioning and movement are work of a tactical genius, whereas it is his nous to find details to exploit that best define him as a player. Having come through the youth categories of the Spanish national team, Oyarzabal also has a senior cap next to his name. It was in 2016 that he also represented the Basque region, scoring on his debut to cap a 3-1 win over Tunisia.
Highlighted Team (Real Madrid):
Real Madrid is a Spanish football club based in Madrid. Real Madrid participate in La Liga (Primera Division) and they have won 32 domestic titles. On the other hand, los Blancos have won 13 European Cup titles and that is the main reason why they are considered the biggest football club in the world.
Real Madrid play their home matches at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and the capacity of the stadium is 84,454. Cristiano Ronaldo is the club’s most successful footballer in the 21st century and the Portuguese superstar has won two Golden Ball awards.
The likes of Alfredo Di Stefano, Zinedine Zidane, Raul Gonzalez Blanco, David Beckham and Iker Casillas are star players who were part of the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu outfit in the past. Real Madrid’s bitterest rivals are Barcelona, but the rivalry between local rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid is big as well. Real Madrid’s home kit is white and, as a result, the team’s nickname is los Blancos (the Whites).