1 Real Sociedad vs 1 Atlético Madrid
Atletico Madrid face Real Sociedad after UCL defeat to Benfica.
As Real Sociedad aims to break their winless home streak against Atletico Madrid, the pressure mounts on manager Imanol Alguacil amidst dismissal rumors, while Diego Simeone's side seeks redemption following their Champions League setback.
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad's wait for victory in the Europa League continued as they lost 2-1 at home to Belgian side Anderlecht in their second match. Their only point in the competition so far comes from a 1-1 draw with Nice on Match Day 1.
"There were several situations in which we felt out of the game," Sociedad's manager, Imanol Alguacil, said after the defeat. On the domestic front, La Real ended a five-match winless run and a four-game stretch without scoring, with a convincing 3-0 victory over Valencia in their last league game.
This result helped Alguacil's side, who have struggled at the start of the campaign, to climb to 14th place in the table with eight points. Real Sociedad will look to replicate this performance as they face Atletico Madrid, seeking to end a four-match winless streak at home against them.
Defeat against Atletico could spell the end of Alguacil's tenure, with growing rumours of his possible dismissal following the team's poor start. A 4—1—4—1 formation, with Mikel Oyarzabal leading the attack, is expected for the match.
Atlético Madrid
```htmlAtletico Madrid are heading into Sunday’s clash on the back of an embarrassing 4-0 defeat against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. However, the Mattress Makers were able to preserve their unbeaten start to La Liga after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in the derby last Sunday, leaving them in 4th place with 16 points [4W, 4D, & 0L].
Atletico went behind when Éder Militão scored for Real Madrid four minutes past the hour mark. However, the game was disrupted shortly after the goal, when the home fans threw a lighter at Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, leading to a temporary 15-minute stop.
Upon resumption, the Mattress Makers grew into the game and eventually got the equalizer via Ángel Correa in stoppage time. Atletico have now been punished with a partial stadium closure for three matches and a €45,000 fine as a result of last weekend’s crowd trouble.
Diego Simeone’s side will hope this does not disrupt their form upon their return home, as they look to win a fourth consecutive La Liga match against Sociedad. A 5—3—2 formation with Alexander Sørloth and Julián Álvarez in attack could be seen against Sociedad. Meanwhile, Marcos Llorente is suspended after picking up a red card late in the Madrid derby.
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