Real Sociedad will be aiming to make it three wins in a row in all competitions when they welcome Sevilla in Spain's top flight on Sunday afternoon.
The home side are currently sixth in the La Liga table, picking up 22 points from their opening 13 matches of the campaign, while Sevilla are down in 12th position on 12 points, but they have a game in hand on the vast majority of the other sides in the division.
Match preview
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Real Sociedad have won six, drawn four and lost three of their 13 league matches this season to collect 22 points, which has left them in sixth position in the table ahead of the next set of fixtures.
Imanol Alguacil's side are six points off fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, and the capital outfit have a game in hand, so there is a danger that the top four could start to pull away if the likes of Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Real Betis are unable to find a period of consistency.
Real Sociedad are already through to the knockout stage of the Champions League, currently sitting top of Group D on 10 points, and they will be aiming to secure first position ahead of Inter Milan.
The Basque outfit were also 3-1 winners over Almeria in the league before the international break, but that proved to be their first success in Spain's top flight since October 21.
Real Sociedad will be able to focus on the league in the build-up to the winter break considering that their spot in the knockout round of Europe has already been secured, but they will also be in Copa del Rey second-round action early next month against Andratx.
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Sevilla, meanwhile, drew 1-1 with Real Betis in the Seville derby last time out, with Ivan Rakitic cancelling out an effort from Ayoze Perez, as the points were shared at Estadio Ramon.
Diego Alonso's side are currently 13th in Spain's top flight, boasting a record of two wins, six draws and four defeats from 12 matches, which has seen them collect 12 points.
Sevilla are already 16 points off the top four, while they are in a tough spot when it comes to progressing in the Champions League, sitting bottom of Group B on two points.
Los Nervionenses won the Europa League last season to secure a spot in the 2023-24 Champions League, and it appears almost certain that they will have to triumph in Europe this term to be present in the competition next season due to their ongoing struggles in La Liga.
Sevilla have incredibly drawn each of their last five league matches, which is both a positive and a negative, while they have only been beaten once in Spain's top flight since the end of August, which proved to be a 1-0 loss at Barcelona on September 29.
Team News
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Real Sociedad will be missing three players through injury on Sunday, with Carlos Fernandez, Mikel Oyarzabal and Martin Merquelanz unavailable for selection.
The Basque outfit's squad will be boosted by the returns of Brais Mendez and Igor Zubeldia, though, with both players serving suspensions against Almeria last time out.
Mendez is set to return to the middle of midfield, while Zubeldia is expected to be back in central defence.
Oyarzabal's absence, down to the problem that he suffered while representing Spain over the international break, is a big blow, but it will open the door for Takefusa Kubo to return, having been on the bench against Almeria before the international break.
As for Sevilla, Marcao and Alfonso Pastor remain unavailable for selection through injury, while Nemanja Gudelj is suspended due to the milestone booking that he picked up against Real Betis.
Sergio Ramos should be back in the middle of the defence this weekend, while Dodi Lukebakio is also expected to return to the starting side, which could mean that Oliver Torres drops to the bench.
Rafa Mir and Mariano Diaz are both options to start at centre-forward on Sunday, but Youssef En-Nesyri is again likely to be given the nod down the middle for Alonso's side here.
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Traore, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Munoz; Zubimendi, Mendez, Merino; Kubo, Sadiq, Barrenetxea
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Navas, Bade, Ramos, Pedrosa; Soumare, Sow, Rakitic; Ocampos, En-Nesyri, Lukebakio
We say: Real Sociedad 2-1 Sevilla
This has all of the makings of an entertaining match, especially with Sevilla not losing games at the moment. Real Sociedad will be without Oyarzabal, which is a huge blow, but the home side should have enough quality to navigate their way to all three points this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
