Fresh from a heavy defeat to Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, Athletic Bilbao will resume domestic duties on Sunday night with a clash against Real Sociedad in the latest instalment of the Basque derby.
A rivalry dating back to 1909, it is a gigantic fixture for both sides, and Athletic will be looking to get back on track ahead of the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final with Man United next week.
Match preview
© Imago
Real Sociedad know what losing to Man United in the Europa League feels like, having suffered a 5-2 defeat on aggregate to the 20-time English champions in the last-16 stage of the competition in the middle of March.
Unlike Athletic, though, La Real have also struggled domestically this season, with a disappointing La Liga campaign leaving them down in 10th spot in the table, only picking up 42 points from their 33 matches.
Imanol Alguacil will be standing down as Real Sociedad head coach this summer, but he will be determined to lead the team to a European finish, with only two points separating them from eighth-placed Osasuna at this stage of proceedings.
The Basque side are only four points behind seventh-placed Celta Vigo, meanwhile, so a spot in the league stage of next season’s Europa League is not impossible, and that would be a relatively successful end to a frustrating campaign.
Real Sociedad will enter the match off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Alaves, while they have only picked up one point from their last three matches, also losing at home to Mallorca in the middle of April.
© Imago
Athletic’s big night against Man United on Thursday could not have gone much worse, suffering a 3-0 defeat, while they lost inspirational defender Dani Vivian to a red card in the first half of the contest.
Ernesto Valverde‘s side now have a mountain to climb in the second leg at Old Trafford next week if they are to secure a spot in the final at San Mames, but it is incredibly difficult to imagine such a turnaround taking place in Manchester.
Athletic are relatively comfortable when it comes to the Champions League spots in Spain’s top flight, sitting fourth in the table, five points ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal and six clear of Real Betis in sixth.
There is still work to do for the Lions, though, and they have only managed to win six of their 16 away league matches this season, with the majority of their strong work coming in front of their own supporters.
Athletic have won the last two Basque derbies, including a 1-0 success in the reverse match earlier this season, but it was 3-0 to Real Sociedad when the two teams locked horns in the corresponding fixture during the 2023-24 campaign.
Team News
© Imago
Real Sociedad will again be without the services of three players through injury on Sunday night, with Igor Zubeldia, Alvaro Odriozola and Arsen Zakharyan unavailable for selection.
Head coach Alguacil is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack for the Basque derby, with Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Oyarzabal again set to be among the starters on Sunday night.
Zubimendi is widely expected to leave Real Sociedad during this summer’s transfer window, while Oyarzabal is another in their squad who is on the radar of a number of major clubs due to his pedigree.
As for Athletic, Vivian’s suspension only relates to the Europa League, and he will not play at Old Trafford next week, so a spot in the XI for this match is an absolute certainty for the Spain international.
Unai Simon should be back between the sticks, having been controversially overlooked for a start against Man United, but leading goalscorer Oihan Sancet is missing due to a hamstring problem.
Nico Williams struggled to make his mark against Man United, and there are concerns surrounding an ongoing groin issue, but the Spain international is set to start what could be his final Basque derby.
Benat Prados may be introduced to freshen the midfield, while there could also be a change in the final third of the field, with Gorka Guruzeta and Alvaro Djalo both in contention to start this weekend.
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Aramburu, Martin, Pacheco, J Lopez; Kubo, Mendez, Zubimendi, Marin, S Gomez; Oyarzabal
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Simon; De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Yuri; Jauregizar, Benat; I Williams, Berenguer, N Williams; Guruzeta
We say: Real Sociedad 1-1 Athletic Bilbao
There has not actually been a La Liga draw between these two sides since October 2021, with their last six fixtures producing a winner – four victories for Athletic and two for Real Sociedad; Athletic have proven themselves to be the better side this term, but we are finding it difficult to back them with real confidence on Sunday, so a low-scoring draw may be on the cards.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
