Looking to extend their winning run across all competitions to six matches, an in-form Real Sociedad outfit will welcome Las Palmas to Reale Arena for a La Liga contest on Sunday afternoon.
Erreala come into this clash following a successful night on the continental stage earlier in the week, whilst Los Amarillos have been afforded a week to reflect on domestic victory last time out.
Match preview
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Achieving a top-six finish in each of the last five La Liga campaigns, Real Sociedad are on a mission to compete at the summit of the top flight once again in 2024-25, with Sunday's hosts also fighting on the European front as they hunt down a first-ever continental honour.
Erreala moved one step closer to progression into the knockout stages of the Europa League on Thursday night, when a first-half brace from Euro 2024-winning Mikel Oyarzabal and a strike from Sheraldo Becker secured a comfortable 3-0 win over Dynamo Kiev, who remain pointless in the 36-team League Phase after six matches.
Sitting 12th in the Europa League standings, Real Sociedad are sixth in the La Liga rankings ahead of this weekend's clash against Las Palmas at Reale Arena, eight points behind Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League spot but only two points back from Villarreal in fifth.
Since a shock 2-1 defeat to Viktoria Plzen on November 7, Erreala have won seven of their last eight matches across all competitions, conceding just once in the process, meaning that it is no surprise to discover that La Real have the joint-best defence in La Liga alongside Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, allowing just 11 strikes in 16 top-flight battles.
Imanol Alguacil's troops will now be targeting increased efficiency in front of net after scoring just 16 goals from as many matches during the opening months of the La Liga season, with Spain international Oyarzabal and former Real Madrid youngster Takefusa Kubo the only players to register more than two goals in the league.
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Since the arrival of Diego Martinez as the new head coach of the Canary Islands club at the end of October, Las Palmas have enjoyed a stark turnaround in form on all fronts, winning seven and losing just two of their nine competitive matches to get their survival aims back on the track.
Los Amarillos are in the midst of their joint-longest winning run of the 2024-25 term after recording three straight victories over league leaders Barcelona, Copa del Rey opponents CE Europa and relegation-threatened Real Valladolid, with all of those contests ending with 2-1 scorelines.
Earning three wins from their most recent quartet of top-flight contests, Las Palmas are currently occupying 14th position in the La Liga table as the festive schedule ramps up significantly, boasting a five-point buffer over Espanyol in the highest of the relegation spots.
After finding the net on just one occasion last season on his return to the top table of Spanish football, striker Sandro Ramirez has hit the ground running during the opening months of the 2024-25 campaign, scoring six goals and providing two assists across 13 La Liga appearances.
As well as stalwarts of the Spanish game, Las Palmas have some recognisable names to those familiar with the English and Scottish leagues, with both Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Fabio Silva and ex-Sheffield United man Oli McBurnie enjoying their stays in the Canary Islands.
Team News
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Scoring in the 3-0 La Liga win at Leganes last weekend, winger Brais Mendez picked up a suspension-inducing yellow card and will be unavailable for Real Sociedad on home soil.
La Real suffered a serious fitness blow in early September, with right-back Hamari Traore now sidelined for the remainder of the campaign due to a cruciate ligament injury.
The hosts' options at centre-back are reduced further by the absence of Aritz Elustondo, who is targeting a return to action at the conclusion of December from an ankle injury.
A potential blow to the January transfer plans of Manchester City and Liverpool, Martin Zubimendi is set to be out for a few weeks with a 'serious' back injury.
Las Palmas have a pair of noticeable suspensions for the trip to Reale Arena this weekend, with Alex Suarez and Silva both out because of yellow card accumulation.
Limited to just five La Liga starts this season, ex-Manchester United attacker Adnan Januzaj suffered another injury blow at the start of the month, picking up an ankle issue during the Copa del Rey success over CE Europa.
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Aguerd, Munoz; Kubo, Olasagasti, Sucic, Gomez; Barrenetxea, Oyarzabal
Las Palmas possible starting lineup:
Cillessen; Viti, Herzog, McKenna, Marmol; Rodriguez, Essugo, Ramirez, Munoz, Moleiro; McBurnie
We say: Real Sociedad 2-1 Las Palmas
Winning each of their last five matches by an aggregate scoreline of 11-0, Real Sociedad are undoubtedly the favourites for success on Sunday evening.
Las Palmas could set their longest winning run of the term with three points at Reale Arena, although we feel that Los Amarillos will fall short amid a number of key suspensions and injuries.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
