Real Sociedad vs Atletico Madrid: Preview, Prediction & Betting Picks

The La Liga campaign comes to a close as Atletico Madrid travel to Real Sociedad looking to end the season on a high with three points.

Date: 5/25/24

Kick-off time: 12:00 Pacific Time

Venue: Anoeta Stadium

Three points is all Atletico Madrid have to play for, with their position in fourth place cemented heading into the final game. They will be playing Champions League football next season as they are eight points ahead of Athletic Bilbao, who are directly behind them. Girona are in third, who Madrid trail by five points, and they will finish a minimum 18 points behind the champions Real Madrid. They will hope to bounce back from a 4-1 defeat at home to Osasuna, which snapped a four-game winning streak.

Real Sociedad will also be playing European football next season, though their sixth place finish means that they will enter the Europa Conference League at the qualifying stage. They are five points behind Bilbao, and four ahead of Real Betis, therefore their final position is set. They will be hoping to make it three wins in a row following previous victories against Valencia and Betis.

Defensively, Sociedad have been strong in recent games, keeping a clean sheet in three of their last four games. Atletico have been inconsistent in front of goal so may struggle to get past an improved defence. In their last five, they have scored nine, but have only netted more than once on two occasions. The visitors have greater goal threats, however, particularly Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata, who have combined for 31 goals. The hosts have spread the goals out, with their top scorer being Mikel Oyarzabal with nine.

Since 2021, these two teams have met six times in the league. Unsurprisingly, Atletico Madrid have enjoyed more success, winning four of these meetings and not losing one. However, Sociedad were not defeated by more than one goal in any of the losses, with games all ending close. Also, both teams were on the scoresheet in every game, highlighting the competitive nature of the matches. The reverse fixture earlier this season ended 2-1 in Atletico’s favour, in dramatic fashion. Samuel Lino opened the scoring in the first half, but Mikel Oyarzabal levelled it. Antoine Griezmann netted the winner from the penalty spot in the 89th minute.

Real Sociedad Team News

Aihen Munoz is out for the season with a cruciate ligament rupture. Javi Galan could return from a finger injury, whilst Igor Zubeldia may also make a comeback.

Atletico Madrid Team News

Atletico have a number of injuries to contend with. Pablo Barrios’ availability is in doubt, as is Nahuel Molina’s. Thomas Lemar, Marcos Polo and Vitolo are all ruled out for the season.

Real Sociedad Form Guide

In their last five games, Real Sociedad have won three and lost two. It has been inconsistent stretch for Sociedad as they fight for a European place, though their defeats came against the two best teams in the league. The first game of this run was a 1-0 home loss against La Liga champions Real Madrid. They competed well throughout, attempting more shots and enjoying more possession than their opponents. However, the only goal of the game came from Arda Guler, who broke the deadlock in the 29th minute.

They responded well to this loss with a comfortable 2-0 win at home to Las Palmas. Both goals came in the first half as they went ahead through an Alex Suarez own goal. Sheraldo Becker doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time. They were able to see out the game, restricting their visitors to just one shot on target. A defeat to Barcelona saw them on the wrong end of the same scoreline. Youngster Lamine Yamal opened the scoring just before the break. The loss was sealed with a Raphinha penalty in second half stoppage time. Once again they provided a good response to the setback by beating Valencia 1-0 at home. The goal came very early on in the third minute, with Andre Silva’s strike the only score of the game.

Their most recent game was a trip to Real Betis, in which they won 2-0. The hosts dominated in both shot attempts and possession but were unable to take their chances. Brais Mendez and Mikel Merino scored two goals in the first half to secure the win.

Atletico Madrid Form Guide

In their last five games, Atletico Madrid have won four and lost one. It has been a fantastic stretch for Atletico Madrid though they were heavily defeated in their most recent game. They lost 4-1 at home to Osasuna. They went 2-0 down before Alvaro Morata pulled one back. However, their opponents scored two more to put the game to bed.

This followed a convincing 3-0 win at mid-table Getafe. It was a clinical display from the side, in particular Antoine Griezmann, as he scored a hat-trick with their only three shots on target in the entire game. The game before was a lot tighter, as they needed a late winner to get past Celta Vigo 1-0 at home. They were dominant in shot attempts, with over three times more than their opponents. However, all they needed was one goal, and that came in the 84th minute courtesy of Rodrigo De Paul.

The enjoyed the same scoreline away at Mallorca. This time they were on the scoresheet very early, with Rodrigo Riquelme netting the only goal of the game in the fifth minute. It was a fairly even game but they were able to keep a clean sheet. The first game of this run was a 3-1 victory against Athletic Bilbao. De Paul opened the scoring, but Atletico were pegged back by a Nico Williams equaliser on the stroke of half-time. They were able to clinch three points with a strike from Angel Correa and an own goal from Unai Simon.

Atletico Madrid have already secured a top four place, but Real Sociedad are still battling to retain their position in the top six. The visitors have been in excellent form as of late, but the motivation of Sociedad may be enough to gain them a point – Real Sociedad 1-1 Atlético Madrid

Real Sociedad vs Atletico Madrid will be available on ESPN+ for U.S viewers.