Preview: Real Sociedad vs. Osasuna - prediction, team news, lineups

The White and Blues were in Copa del Rey action on Tuesday, drawing 0-0 with Mallorca in the first leg of their semi-final, while Osasuna suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo in the league last weekend.

Match preview

It is a busy stage of the season for Real Sociedad, with the club active in three separate competitions, competing in La Liga, in addition to the Copa del Rey and Champions League.

Imanol Alguacil's side drew 0-0 with Mallorca in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Tuesday, with the Basque outfit in a strong position to finish the job at home later this month.

Real Sociedad have the small matter of a trip to Paris Saint-Germain next week, meanwhile, for the first leg of their last-16 clash in the Champions League, and it will be fascinating to see how the La Liga outfit perform against the champions of France.

The White and Blues have actually drawn each of their last three games 0-0, including their last two in La Liga against Rayo Vallecano and Girona, and a total of 37 points from 23 matches has left them in sixth position in the table, some eight points behind fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao.

Too many draws (10) have prevented Real Sociedad from pushing for the top four at this stage, but they have only been beaten four times in Spain's top flight during the 2023-24 campaign.

Osasuna, meanwhile, have struggled to match their performance levels from last season, which saw them claim seventh position in La Liga and a spot in the final of the Copa del Rey.

Jagoba Arrasate's side are currently 12th in the table, picking up 26 points from their 23 matches, which has left them nine points behind seventh-placed Valencia ahead of the latest set of fixtures.

Osasuna have only picked up one point from their last three league matches, drawing away to Sevilla at the end of January, before suffering back-to-back losses to Barcelona and Celta in their last two.

Los Rojillos have picked up 11 points from their 11 away league games this season, which is hardly disastrous, but Real Sociedad have lost just once in front of their own fans in the league this term.

Osasuna held Real Sociedad to a 1-1 draw when the two teams locked horns earlier this season, but the Basque team ran out 2-0 winners in the corresponding future during the 2022-23 campaign.

Real Sociedad La Liga form:

D

D

L

W

D

D

Real Sociedad form (all competitions):

W

W

W

D

D

D

Osasuna La Liga form:

L

W

W

D

L

L

Osasuna form (all competitions):

L

L

W

D

L

L

Team News

Real Sociedad have struggled with injuries throughout the season, and the hosts will be missing five players for this contest due to fitness problems, with Sheraldo Becker, Alvaro Odriozola, Kieran Tierney, Aihen Munoz and Carlos Fernandez unavailable for selection.

Hamari Traore and Takefusa Kubo both started against Mallorca last time out following international commitments, and the pair should again be in the XI for this match.

Andre Silva may be given the nod at centre-forward, with Umar Sadiq likely to drop to the bench, while Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Brais Mendez should continue as the three central midfielders.

As for Osasuna, head coach Arrasate could have a full squad available for this match, as Unai Garcia is back from a suspension, and he will return to the starting side.

The visitors have not reported any injury problems in the build-up to the contest, but there will be changes from the side that started the 3-0 loss to Celta last time out.

Aimar Oroz and Jose Arnaiz featured off the bench last time out and could now come into the XI, while Kike Barja will also be in the manager's thinking when it comes to potential alterations this weekend.

Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:

Remiro; Traore, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Galan; Merino, Zubimendi, Mendez; Kubo, A Silva, Oyarzabal

Osasuna possible starting lineup:

Herrera; Areso, D Garcia, U Garcia, Cruz, Pena; Oroz, Munoz, M Gomez; Arnaiz, Budimir

We say: Real Sociedad 1-0 Osasuna

This is a tough match to call, as Real Sociedad will certainly be thinking about their trip to Paris next week. Osasuna will also be the fresher of the two sides, but Real Sociedad are the favourites, and we believe that their superior quality will allow them to secure a hugely important three points on Saturday.

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