Having secured their place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, Atletico Madrid now aim to continue the rich vein of form by defeating Real Sociedad at Vicente Calderon. That will be no easy task as La Real appear to be on top of their game at the moment, although the visitors will be under pressure as they desperately need points to keep their top 4 bid alive.

Diego returns

The mere fact Atletico Madrid are still keeping up with mighty Barcelona and Real Madrid in the La Liga title chase speaks volumes about performances and character of Diego Simeone’s side. Having suffered just four slip-ups in 21 league matches, los Colchoneros proved they are rightly considered serious title contenders and they continue to showcase the qualities of a truly great side. Atletico recovered well from the costly setback against Sevilla to record a double win over in-form Athletic Bilbao and ensure a place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, where they will face last year’s rivals in the final Real Madrid. Before the first leg of that tie, los Colchoneros need to successfully negotiate the league match against very good Real Sociedad, which is going to be no easy task. The back line, which hasn’t really impressed of late, will be weakened by the absence of Filipe Luis and that could to be a problem when facing a side that averages exactly two goals per game. Nonetheless, Atletico will be hoping their star-studded attack reinforced by the return of Diego Ribas da Cunha will be able to outscore the opponents.

Full-back Filipe Luis is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, whereas Mario Suarez continues to build his fitness.

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Still harbouring top 4 hopes

Real Sociedad produced quite a coup by pipping then impressive Valencia to a fourth-place finish and Champions League berth, but the team experienced all sorts of problems at the start of the new campaign. La Real just could not cope with the busy schedule, crashing out of Europe early on, while largely struggling in the league as well. Nevertheless, Jagoba Arrasate and his charges managed to turn things around, qualifying for the Copa del Rey semi-finals, whilst getting their La Liga campaign back on track. Real Sociedad remain six points behind fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao, but there is still plenty of time to try and close that gap or at least secure Europa League qualification. La Real clearly face a difficult task against star-studded Atletico Madrid, but boss Arrasate is highly unlikely to discard his attack-minded style regardless of the opposition. And with his men bagging four goals last time out, they should play their part in making this a highly entertaining game.

It remains to be seen whether new signing Sergio Canales will be in contention, but Dani Estrada, Alberto De La Bella and Esteban Granero are definitely out.

Verdict

Having returned to the right track, Atletico Madrid will fancy their chances of defeating Real Sociedad, although their back line will have their work cut out for them against the likes of Vela, Griezmann and Agirretxe. La Real are clearly the underdogs here, but backing them to score at least one goal is the right thing to do.

Top pick: Both teams to score   2.00 (1/1) @ Stan James

Alternative pick 1: Over 3.5 goals   2.65 (33/20) @ Sportingbet

Alternative pick 2: Home win + both teams to score   3.25 (9/4) @ Ladbrokes