Preview: Real Sociedad vs Real Oviedo - prediction, team news, lineups

Real Sociedad will be aiming to bounce back from a defeat when they continue their La Liga campaign with a clash against basement side Real Oviedo on Saturday.

The home team are currently eighth in the La Liga table, four points off sixth-placed Espanyol, while Oviedo are 20th, nine points from the safety of 17th.

Match preview

Real Sociedad entered last weekend's league fixture with Real Madrid off the back of an 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions, but they were well-beaten by the current division leaders, suffering a 4-1 loss at Bernabeu.

The Basque outfit are currently eighth in the division, four points behind sixth-placed Espanyol, but they are also only two points ahead of Girona in 12th.

Pellegrino Matarazzo's side have picked up 20 points from their 12 home league matches this season, and they will be welcoming a Oviedo outfit that have only managed to collect five points from their 11 La Liga games on their travels.

Real Sociedad actually suffered a 1-0 loss to Oviedo in the reverse match earlier this season, but La Real recorded a 3-0 victory when the two teams last locked horns in La Liga at the home of the Basque side in April 2001.

Matarazzo's team are certainly in the mix for a top-six finish heading towards the end of the campaign, and anything less than three points here would be a big setback.

Oviedo actually have the better of the overall head-to-head record between the two sides, having posted 26 wins to Real Sociedad's 24, while 21 of their 71 games have finished level.

As mentioned, Oviedo recorded a 1-0 victory in the reverse match earlier this season, but they have not beaten Real Sociedad on their travels since January 1976.

The visitors will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 home defeat to Athletic Bilbao, and they have lost three of their last four in the league, which has left them rooted to the bottom of the division entering a crucial period of the campaign.

Guillermo Almada's team have a record of three wins, seven draws and 13 defeats from their 23 league matches this season, with 16 points leaving them in 20th, nine points from 17th-placed Rayo Vallecano with 15 games left to play.

Oviedo's main issue this season has been finding the back of the net, having only scored 13 times in their 23 matches, which is comfortably the worst attacking record in the division.

Real Sociedad La Liga form:

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Real Sociedad form (all competitions):

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Real Oviedo La Liga form:

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Team News

Real Sociedad will definitely be without the services of Inaki Ruperez and Takefusa Kubo due to injury problems, while Luka Sucic and Ander Barrenetxea are major doubts.

However, Brais Mendez is available again after a suspension.

Mikel Oyarzabal has been Real Sociedad's standout attacker this season, and the Spain international will continue in the final third of the field, while there is also expected to be a spot in the side for Goncalo Guedes, who started on the bench against Real Madrid.

As for Oviedo, David Costas remains unavailable for selection through injury, while Ovie Ejaria requires a late fitness test.

The visitors will also be without the services of Santiago Colombatto, with the midfielder picking up a milestone yellow card in the narrow defeat to Athletic last time out.

Eric Bailly was a standout performer in the team's last match and is set to continue in the middle of the defence, while Nicolas Fonseca could be the player to benefit from Colombatto's absence to feature in central midfield.

Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:

Remiro; Aramburu, Martin, Caleta-Car, Gomez; Gorrotxategi, Turrientes; Guedes, Soler, Marin; Oyarzabal

Real Oviedo possible starting lineup:

Escandell; Vidal, Carmo, Bailly, Lopez; Fonseca, Sibo; Hassan, Reina, Chaira; Vinas

We say: Real Sociedad 2-1 Real Oviedo

Oviedo are capable of making this a tricky match for Real Sociedad despite their struggles, and we are expecting it to be close in terms of the scoreline, but the home team should be able to navigate their way to an important three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.