After winning consecutive games in the lead up to the recent international break, Real Sociedad will look to pick up where they left off upon their return to action on Sunday, when they travel to take on Cadiz.
The visitors have collected six points from their opening three outings to sit seventh in the La Liga table at this early stage, while their hosts go in search of their first victory, having earned two points so far.
Match preview
© Reuters
Cadiz impressed in their first season back in the Spanish top flight last year, comfortably surviving in 12th place with a commendable tally of 44 points from 38 league outings.
Having finished just two points short of breaking into the top half, Los Piratas would have headed into the new campaign with optimism, and they began with a creditable 1-1 draw against Levante, as Alfonso Espino salvaged a point deep into added time with a 97th-minute equaliser.
They followed that up with another impressive 1-1 draw when they travelled to take on Real Betis, as Juanmi drew their hosts level after Alvaro Negredo converted a penalty inside the first 15 minutes.
Alvaro Cervera's side failed to extend an unbeaten run prior to the international break though, as they were eventually handed a 3-2 defeat in a dramatic clash with Osasuna.
An Alex Fernandez brace saw them head into injury time with a 2-1 lead, but Roberto Torres drew the visitors level in the 91st minute before David Garcia snatched all three points with a 95th-minute winner.
Following the rest brought about by an international break, Los Piratas will be desperate to bounce back from that late disappointment on Sunday, but their schedule does not get any easier as they welcome Real Sociedad to the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla.
© Reuters
After a strong finish to last season, Real Sociedad eventually achieved an impressive fifth-placed finish, booking their place in the Europa League for this campaign.
They will certainly have headed into the new season with the hopes of again pushing for a top-five finish, but they got off to a difficult start as they were handed a 4-2 defeat by Barcelona on the opening day, with Julen Lobete and Mikel Oyarzabal putting them within a goal of earning a point in the final 10 minutes, only for Sergi Roberto to put the game out of sight.
Imanol Alguacil's side bounced back when they hosted newly-promoted Rayo Vallecano, as Oyarzabal netted the only goal of the game soon after the hour mark in a 1-0 victory.
Los Txuri-Urdin then built on that with another win by the same scoreline in the final game before the international break, as Ander Barrenetxea hit the only goal at home to Levante.
They will now hope to return seamlessly from the break and build a winning run to establish themselves at the top end of the table as the league begins to take shape in the coming weeks.
- D
- D
- L
- L
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Cadiz's injury concerns have eased during the international break, with Ivan Alejo and Carlos Akapo both returning to full fitness.
Jon Ander Garrido should be the only certain absentee, while Sunday's game may come too soon for Jose Mari and Alberto Perea.
Experienced forward Alvaro Negredo will continue to lead the attack, having opened his account for the season in the draw with Real Betis after registering eight goals and four assists in La Liga last season.
He will be supported by dangerous midfielder Alex Fernandez, who looked to have fired them to a win over Osasuna with a brace before Los Piratas' late collapse.
Real Sociedad still have a list of absences to deal with, as defender Nacho Monreal and midfielders Jon Guridi and Carlos Fernandez are all set to continue spells on the sidelines, while Asier Illaramendi remains a major doubt.
They boast an imposing front line, led by Alexander Isak, who shone at Euro 2020 for Sweden after hitting 17 league goals last season.
He will be supported by winger Mikel Oyarzabal, who comes in on the back of a rest, having been given a break by the Spanish national team after featuring at Euro 2020 and the Olympic Games over the summer, and exciting 19-year-old Ander Barrenetxea, who fired his side to a victory over Levante before the international break.
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Akapo, Fali, Haroyan, Espino; Alarcon, Jonsson; Sanchez, Fernandez, Lozano; Negredo
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Gorosabel, Elustondo, Normand, Munoz; Silva, Merino, Zubimendi; Barrenetxea, Isak, Oyarzabal
We say: Cadiz 0-1 Real Sociedad
Cadiz have started relatively well, despite a late collapse against Osasuna, but we see them falling just short on Sunday.
While they only scored one goal in each of their last two victories, La Real boast a dangerous front line, while their strong defensive unit has got them over the line in back-to-back games, and we see a similar outcome when they travel to Cadiz.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Real Sociedad win with a probability of 59.89%. A draw had a probability of 24.2% and a win for Cadiz had a probability of 15.89%.
The most likely scoreline for a Real Sociedad win was 0-1 with a probability of 15.54%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (12.82%) and 1-2 (9.13%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.07%), while for a Cadiz win it was 1-0 (6.72%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 12.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Real Sociedad would win this match.
