Real Sociedad vs Atletico Madrid

October 20, 2012
By: John Hansen

With Real Sociedad going into the game on the back of five straight home wins in La Liga and Atletico on a nine-match winning run, something will have to give when the two sides meet at Anoeta. One thing’s for sure though, both sides are hoping to win this game.

Anoeta becoming a real fortress

Shortly after returning to the top flight, Real Sociedad become referred to as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde team, mostly thanks to their impressive showings at Anoeta and dismal performances on the travels. This has become even more evident this season, with the Basque side winning all three home games and losing all three away matches in La Liga. This trend usually helps keep the team in mid table, but things are a bit different at the moment, with Real Sociedad sitting just three points above the bottom three. Even if it is red-hot Atletico that arrive to Anoeta, the Basque side will be looking to win this game as they have no reason to fear anyone at their fortress. We can, therefore, expect an attacking approach from coach Philippe Montanier, even if he is well aware that his back line will have problems containing the likes of Falcao, Adrian and Koke.

The hosts should have Imanol Agirretxe back to the side after recovering from injury, while there are no fresh injury worries for Philippe Montanier.

Atletico on fire

Atletico Madrid have long been famous for failing to play to its potential, but everything changed with the arrival of former player Diego Simeone. The Argentine almost instantly created a great atmosphere and found the right balance within the team, and los Colchoneros have been on the major uptrend ever since. Following the opening draw with Levante, Atletico have won nine straight games in all competitions, with four away victories on the bounce giving them confidence ahead of the trip to infamous Anoeta. Los Colchoneros have no reason to fear anyone when they have arguably the world’s best centre forward in the squad, with Falcao playing the best football of his career. Even with Arda Turan missing, Atletico should have no problems continuing their impressive scoring run, although they will have to be wary of players like Vela, Agirretxe and Griezmann.

Apart from Arda Turan, boss Diego Simeone will have fully fit squad to choose from, with Diego Costa resuming full training.

Verdict

Having scored two goals in each of their three home games this season, Real Sociedad can be trusted to score at least once against Atletico, but it remains to be seen whether that will be enough for all three points. Los Colchoneros are on fire at the moment, which should guarantee us a high-scoring match.

Our prediction: Over 2.5 goals

Odds: 1.97 (28/29)

Bookmaker: 188BET

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