Real Sociedad and new manager David Moyes go into the Euskal Derbia on the back of an embarrassing defeat to Villarreal, so no doubt redemption is on their minds. Meanwhile, Athletic ended the good run with home defeat to Cordoba, meaning they, too, will have something to prove at Anoeta.

Promising run comes to abrupt end

It was the assistant coach Asier Santana who led Real Sociedad to their first win in nine games as La Real defeated holders Atletico Madrid in the first match after Jagoba Arrasate had been sacked. Former Manchester United boss David Moyes then took over the reigns, helping his new side keep the first clean sheet of the season before they shut up shop in two more games. And just as the team were expected to build on the 3-0 triumph over Elche, Sociedad crashed and burned as they were hammered 4-0 by Villarreal at El Madrigal. The embarrassing loss came at a bad time given that La Real are set to contest the Basque derby against bitter rivals Athletic, and the hosts have no choice but to adopt a positive approach in an attempt to win the derby and put the Villarreal result behind them. Looking at the team sheet, Real Sociedad clearly have enough quality up front to hurt their rivals, but their back line no longer looks solid as the defeat at El Madrigal is bound to have a negative effect.

David Moyes has no fresh selection worries, but Joseba Zaldua, Gorka Elustondo, Imanol Agirretxe and Mikel Gonzalez are out injured.

Costly defeat to Cordoba

The Champions League campaign proved a major burden for Athletic in the opening exchanges, and coach Ernesto Valverde will probably be delighted that the group stage has ended. Los Leones did not manage to mount a serious challenge for a place in the next stage, but they finished the competition with two wins to secure a Europa League berth. Meanwhile, the team seriously raised their league form of late, winning four of five matches and holding high-flying Valencia to a stalemate at Mestalla, but the home defeat to struggling Cordoba was seen as a major setback. As a result, Athletic currently sit some 11 points behind Champions League positions, meaning they need to win at Anoeta if they want to keep their qualifying hopes alive. Athletic have been pretty impressive on the road of late, defeating Almeria, Getafe and Shakhtar Donetsk, while sharing spoils with Valencia and Alcoyano, so they clearly have reason for optimism ahead of the clash with Real Sociedad.

Star striker Aritz Aduriz has returned into action, but Andoni Iraola and Etxeita remain sidelined. Benat Etxebarria should be back to the side.

Verdict

Both sides have experienced plenty of problems this season, but they desperately need a win at the moment, which should guarantee us a very open encounter at Anoeta. Picking a winner could prove to be a very difficult task, but a high-scoring match does appear on the cards.

Top pick: Over 2.5 goals   2.40 (7/5) @ Betfair

Alternative pick 1: Both teams to score   2.00 (1/1) @ Coral

Alternative pick 2: Draw   3.30 (23/10) @ Stan James