Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad Preview: How to Watch, Key Battle, Team News & More

Atletico Madrid will be looking to put their heaviest defeat of the Diego Simeone era behind them when they entertain Real Sociedad on Saturday. Los Rojiblancos

Atletico Madrid will be looking to put their heaviest defeat of the Diego Simeone era behind them when they entertain Real Sociedad on Saturday.

Los Rojiblancos were thrashed 4-0 by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday as their indifferent start to the campaign continued. Simeone's team have won just four of their nine La Liga matches so far.

4 - Atletico de Madrid have suffered their biggest defeat with Diego Simeone as manager in all competitions (4-0 vs Borussia Dortmund). Shock. pic.twitter.com/6tshWybRrF

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 24, 2018

Their opponents Real Sociedad are 9th in the table with three wins, three draws and three defeats.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of this match.

How to Watch

When is the Match?	Saturday 27th October
What Time is Kick Off?	19:45 BST
Where Is It Played?	Wanda Metropolitano
TV Channel/Live Stream?	Eleven Sports 1

Key Battle

TF-Images/GettyImages

Conceding four goals in midweek was so uncharacteristic of a defence which has been the best in La Liga over the last three seasons and has only conceded five goals in nine league games at the start of this campaign. It will be interesting to see how they respond on Saturday.

An extra layer of intrigue is provided by the fact that Sociedad were the only team to score three against Atletico in a league match last season. It was a crushing 3-0 defeat at the Anoeta as Atletico's Europa League commitments caught up with them.

The chief architect on that day was Juanmi, who could be back in the starting lineup after returning from a three-match suspension last week. It will be Diego Godin's responsibility to rally his defence and ensure that there is no Champions League hangover for Sociedad to take advantage of.

Team News

Quality Sport Images/GettyImages

Atletico Madrid defender Jose Gimenez missed the midweek defeat in Dortmund with a hamstring injury so Diego Godin and Lucas Hernandez are likely to retain their partnership at centre back. Juanfran is suspended so Santiago Arias is in line to make his first La Liga start.

For Sociedad, Martin Merquelanz and Joseba Zaldua are out until the new year. Mikel Merino's lay-off will not be quite as long, but he too remains sidelined. Adnan Januzaj, who is yet to feature this season, is approaching a return to full fitness.

Predicted Lineups

Atletico Madrid	Oblak; Arias, Godin, Hernandez, Filipe Luis; Koke, Saul, Rodri, Lemar; Griezmann, Costa.
Real Sociedad	Moya; Gorosabel, Navas, Elustondo, Rodrigues; Illaramendi, Zubeldia; Juanmi, Pardo, Oyarzabal; Bautista.

Prediction

Last season, Sociedad's fearsome attack - the third best in the league behind Real Madrid and Barcelona - was matched only by their leaky defence - the fifth worst in the division. There are signs of that again this season, with last week's goalless draw against Girona being their first clean sheet of the campaign.

Such statistics suggest that this might be more entertaining fare than the average Atletico match. Of their nine league games this season, only one has seen more than two goals. 

They will be wary of the threat Sociedad pose, particularly after last season, but they will also be aware of Sociedad's tendency to concede goals, which they should be able to take advantage of to eke out a narrow victory.

Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2-1 Real Sociedad