The stakes will be high at Anoeta when top 4 hopefuls Real Sociedad host title contenders Real Madrid, with both sides in desperate need of three points. Los Blancos are clearly the favourites here, but after defeating Barcelona on home soil, La Real will be confident they can claim another major scalp.

Back in business

Champions League qualification did ensure the club’s finances were improved, but it put a major strain on the team and almost ruined their La Liga campaign. La Real, however, showed a lot of character to recover from the disappointing European campaign and they surprisingly returned into contention for a top 4 berth. The impressive 3-1 triumph over Barcelona hinted La Real were ready for the final assault, but the team then went on to lose three of next four fixtures, allowing bitter rivals Athletic Bilbao to create a significant advantage over Jagoba Arrasate’s charges. Real Sociedad have since showed some improvement, having beaten Real Valladolid at home and shared spoils with Osasuna away, but the fact they are far from the desired form at the moment is definitely a cause for concern ahead of the clash with mighty Real Madrid. Seeing as how the hosts, too, need all three points, they can be trusted to adopt a positive approach, which should result in an open encounter, but I am afraid the hosts lack of quality and experience to match a side like Real.

Carlos Vela is available after his yellow card was overturned, leaving Esteban Granero as the only unavailable player at the moment. Xabi Prieto is back from suspension.

Uphill task for Real

Everyone can see the improvement Real Madrid have shown under Carlo Ancelotti, with los Blancos back to being a real force to be reckoned with in Spain and Europe. The recent slip-ups in La Liga have seen them drop to third place in the standings, but they still have a decent shot at winning the league trophy. Meanwhile, los Merengues are getting closer to La Decima, having all but secured their place in the Champions League semi-finals by defeating Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in the first leg at Santiago Bernabeu. And with Real also qualifying for Copa del Rey final, the treble dream remains alive. The league clash at Anoeta is extremely important for los Blancos as they cannot allow any more slip-ups if they want to win the league, and it is good they go into the game in great spirits. Cristiano Ronaldo’s knee injury is the only cause for concern at the moment, but even if Carlo Ancelotti opts against risking the Portuguese superstar, Real will have more than enough quality in the ranks to win at Anoeta.

Cristiano Ronaldo is doubtful with a knee problem, while Alvaro Arbeloa, Sami Khedira, Marcelo and Jese Rodriguez are out injured.

Verdict

Real Sociedad are not exactly on top of their game at the moment and while they are expected to play attacking football, I seriously doubt they will be able to match very good Real side. Los Blancos have restored the lost confidence with two big wins and another triumph appears on the cards.

Top pick: Away win   1.57 (4/7) @ Paddy Power

Alternative pick 1: Both teams to score   1.57 (4/7) @ Betfair

Alternative pick 2: Away win + Both teams to score   2.70 (17/10) @ Stan James