The clash between Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid is set to be an intriguing La Liga encounter on Sunday night. Atletico Madrid will be aiming to extend their winning streak to five consecutive matches across all competitions. Their current standing in the La Liga table sees them in third place, trailing the league leaders by nine points. In contrast, Real Sociedad finds themselves in a more precarious 16th position, a reflection of their struggles throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
Real Sociedad has faced significant challenges this season, accumulating just 17 points from 17 matches, placing them only two points clear of the relegation zone. Their offensive output has been limited, with only four league victories recorded so far. The Basque club’s last triumph in Spain’s top flight dates back to November 22, a 3-1 victory over Osasuna.
Following the winter break, Pellegrino Matarazzo has been appointed as Real Sociedad’s new head coach. The 48-year-old, who has prior experience managing Stuttgart and Hoffenheim, is preparing for his inaugural match since his arrival. His immediate task will be to galvanize a team that has shown inconsistent form./https%3A%2F%2Fsportsmole-media-prod.s3.gra.io.cloud.ovh.net%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F10%2Fimago1067112047-1-68df87f9df566212717407.jpg)
At home, Real Sociedad’s record this season stands at three wins, one draw, and four defeats from their eight league fixtures. Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, has also exhibited inconsistency when playing away from home, securing only three victories in nine away games.
Historically, Real Sociedad has struggled against Atletico Madrid in La Liga, with their last league win against Los Colchoneros occurring in September 2019. The previous encounter between these two teams in May 2025 resulted in a dominant 4-0 victory for Atletico./https%3A%2F%2Fsportsmole-media-prod.s3.gra.io.cloud.ovh.net%2F20%2F33%2Fsm-words-green-background.png)
Atletico Madrid entered the winter break on a positive note, securing a 3-0 win against Girona. Their recent form has been strong, with victories in their last four matches across all competitions. However, they did experience two league defeats in December, which has made it challenging to keep pace with league leaders Barcelona.
With 11 wins, four draws, and three defeats from their 18 league matches, Atletico Madrid has amassed 37 points. This tally places them third in the table, five points behind second-placed Real Madrid and nine adrift of leaders Barcelona. The team’s focus will soon shift to the Spanish Super Cup, where they are set to face Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
Featured snippet paragraph: What is the current form of Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid? Real Sociedad has struggled this season with only four league wins and sits 16th, while Atletico Madrid is on a four-match winning streak across all competitions and is third in the league.
Atletico Madrid’s campaign in the Champions League league phase is also nearing its conclusion this month. Simeone’s squad currently occupies eighth place in the overall standings, having secured 12 points from their six group stage games.
Real Sociedad’s recent La Liga form includes a mixed bag of results, with draws and losses interspersed with wins (DWLLLD). Their overall form across all competitions has also been inconsistent (LWLLWD).
Atletico Madrid’s La Liga form has been more positive recently, marked by several consecutive wins (WWLLWW). Their overall form across all competitions mirrors this, showing a strong run of results (LLWWWW).
Team News: Real Sociedad’s new head coach, Matarazzo, will be without Inaki Ruperez and Yangel Herrera due to injuries. Jon Gorrotxategi and Igor Zubeldia are also unavailable due to suspensions. Ander Barrenetxea is undergoing a late fitness assessment. Mikel Oyarzabal has recovered from a muscular issue and has been performing well, contributing five goals and three assists in 14 league appearances.
For Atletico Madrid, Clement Lenglet is sidelined with an injury, and Nico Gonzalez requires assessment. However, the rest of the squad is in good condition. Alex Baena, having recovered from a hamstring problem, could feature in midfield if Gonzalez is unavailable. Jose Gimenez might also return to the bench after recovering from a thigh injury.
Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth are expected to lead the attack. Robin Le Normand could also make a return to the starting lineup. The potential starting lineup for Real Sociedad includes Remiro; Aramburu, Caleta-Car, Martin, Munoz; Soler, Marin; Kubo, Mendez, Oyarzabal; Guedes. Atletico Madrid’s possible starting lineup is Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Pubill, Hancko; Simeone, Koke, Barrios, Baena; Sorloth, Alvarez.
We predict a narrow victory for Atletico Madrid. While their away form in La Liga has not been consistently convincing, Real Sociedad has endured a difficult campaign. We anticipate the visitors will possess enough quality to secure all three points this weekend.
