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Played
February 6, 2011 6:00 PM GMT
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu — Madrid
Referee: Rafael Ramírez Domínguez
Attendance: 74000
February 6, 2011 6:00 PM GMT
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu — Madrid
Referee: Rafael Ramírez Domínguez
Attendance: 74000
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| Real Madrid | 1.17 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 1.17 | 1.01 |
| Draw | 7.50 | 26.00 | 0.00 | 6.50 | 61.00 |
| Real Sociedad | 13.00 | 56.00 | 0.00 | 19.00 | 331.00 |
La Liga Preview: Real Madrid - Real Sociedad
Anything shot of three points for los Blancos will be considered a huge failure against the Txuri-urdin...
By Robin Bairner
Copa Finalists In Troubled Times
Real Madrid booked another date with Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final by winning through against Sevilla on Wednesday night, but though the knockout competition is clearly precious to Jose Mourinho, it’s the league that earns the greatest kudos.
Los Blancos have seen their title aspirations slip away with a couple of poor performances away from home since the turn of the year. A draw in Almeria hinted that all was not right in the Madrid camp, but this was made clear last weekend when they went down to stubborn Osasuna, who were value for their 1-0 success.
But Mourinho’s sides are nothing if not mentally resilient, bouncing back with a 2-0 victory over Sevilla on Wednesday night at the Bernabeu, where they’ve done nothing but win since the Portuguese took over. Late goals from Mesut Oezil and Emmanuel Adebayor kept that record going in midweek.
Former president Ramon Calderon has increased the tension on a week of unease for the capital side by declaring the backroom troubles of the club as “a powderkeg that is ready to blow”, referring to Mourinho’s relationship with sporting director Jorge Valdano, which isn’t thought to be cordial.
Only victories on the field will prevent the media from leaping to discuss a ‘crisis’, and three points are certainly expected on Sunday.
No Fear
For a period over the bleakest moments of winter, it seemed that Athletic Bilbao could be sucked into the relegation battle. A run of four successive defeats promised nothing but woe for the San Sebastian club, but they’ve since roused themselves to earn two wins over the course of their last three matches.
A smashing 4-0 victory over Getafe got the ball rolling, and strong hints of a revival were also on show when the Basques went to Villarreal and snatched the lead before ultimately going down 2-1. This disappointment was placed behind them last weekend with a 2-0 home success over Almeria, which keeps the relegation zone a distant 10 points in the rear-view mirror.
Recent results have been reflected in a sense of confidence portrayed prior to this encounter by young French midfielder Antoine Griezmann, who feels there is no sense in la Real travelling to the Bernabeu with a sense of fear. “Madrid are not a big deal,” he dismissed. “We have played against them and are not anything special.”
Sociedad often aren’t anything special when playing away from home, though. From their 11 away trips to date, they’ve lost a staggering seven, picking up three victories along the way. Given these numbers, it’s tough to see the plucky northern side causing a weekend sensation, but then again, those accusations were levelled at Osasuna last weekend.
TEAM NEWS
Real Madrid
Pepe, Jerzy Dudek and Gonzalo Higuain all remain sidelined due to injury. Sergio Ramos won’t play this weekend due to a ban.
Real Sociedad
Joseba Llorente is out for the rest of the season with a serious back complaint. On the other hand, la Real will welcome back Mikel Gonzalez, who was suspended last weekend.
Real Madrid booked another date with Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final by winning through against Sevilla on Wednesday night, but though the knockout competition is clearly precious to Jose Mourinho, it’s the league that earns the greatest kudos.
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £25.50 | Draw £37.50 | Real Madrid £25.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £25.00 | Draw £35.00 | Real Madrid £26.20 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £25.00 | Draw £35.00 | Real Madrid £26.25 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £25.00 | Draw £35.00 | Real Madrid £26.30 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Real Sociedad £25.00 | Draw £32.50 | Real Madrid £28.00 |
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But Mourinho’s sides are nothing if not mentally resilient, bouncing back with a 2-0 victory over Sevilla on Wednesday night at the Bernabeu, where they’ve done nothing but win since the Portuguese took over. Late goals from Mesut Oezil and Emmanuel Adebayor kept that record going in midweek.
Former president Ramon Calderon has increased the tension on a week of unease for the capital side by declaring the backroom troubles of the club as “a powderkeg that is ready to blow”, referring to Mourinho’s relationship with sporting director Jorge Valdano, which isn’t thought to be cordial.
Only victories on the field will prevent the media from leaping to discuss a ‘crisis’, and three points are certainly expected on Sunday.
No Fear
For a period over the bleakest moments of winter, it seemed that Athletic Bilbao could be sucked into the relegation battle. A run of four successive defeats promised nothing but woe for the San Sebastian club, but they’ve since roused themselves to earn two wins over the course of their last three matches.
A smashing 4-0 victory over Getafe got the ball rolling, and strong hints of a revival were also on show when the Basques went to Villarreal and snatched the lead before ultimately going down 2-1. This disappointment was placed behind them last weekend with a 2-0 home success over Almeria, which keeps the relegation zone a distant 10 points in the rear-view mirror.
Recent results have been reflected in a sense of confidence portrayed prior to this encounter by young French midfielder Antoine Griezmann, who feels there is no sense in la Real travelling to the Bernabeu with a sense of fear. “Madrid are not a big deal,” he dismissed. “We have played against them and are not anything special.”
Sociedad often aren’t anything special when playing away from home, though. From their 11 away trips to date, they’ve lost a staggering seven, picking up three victories along the way. Given these numbers, it’s tough to see the plucky northern side causing a weekend sensation, but then again, those accusations were levelled at Osasuna last weekend.
TEAM NEWS
Real Madrid
Pepe, Jerzy Dudek and Gonzalo Higuain all remain sidelined due to injury. Sergio Ramos won’t play this weekend due to a ban.
Real Sociedad
Joseba Llorente is out for the rest of the season with a serious back complaint. On the other hand, la Real will welcome back Mikel Gonzalez, who was suspended last weekend.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
-
Real Madrid CF 0-2 Real Sociedad
- 21.04 %
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Real Madrid CF 3-0 Real Sociedad
- 16.17 %
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Real Madrid CF 4-0 Real Sociedad
- 10.57 %
| Spain - Primera Division (LIGA) | Jan 6, 2013 | Real Madrid CF 4 - Real Sociedad 3 |
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| Spain - Primera Division (LIGA) | Mar 24, 2012 | Real Madrid CF 5 - Real Sociedad 1 |
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| Spain - Primera Division (LIGA) | Oct 29, 2011 | Real Sociedad 0 - Real Madrid CF 1 |
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| Spain - Primera Division (LIGA) | Feb 6, 2011 | Real Madrid CF 4 - Real Sociedad 1 |
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| Spain - Primera Division (LIGA) | Sep 18, 2010 | Real Sociedad 1 - Real Madrid CF 2 |
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Real Madrid CF
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||
| May 17, 2013 | Real Madrid CF 1 - Atletico Madrid 2 | ESPC |
| May 11, 2013 | Espanyol 1 - Real Madrid CF 1 | LIGA |
| May 8, 2013 | Real Madrid CF 6 - Malaga 2 | LIGA |
| May 4, 2013 | Real Madrid CF 4 - Valladolid 3 | LIGA |
| Apr 30, 2013 | Real Madrid CF 2 - Borussia Dortmund 0 | UCL |
Real Sociedad
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||
| May 18, 2013 | Sevilla 1 - Real Sociedad 2 | LIGA |
| May 13, 2013 | Real Sociedad 2 - Granada 2 | LIGA |
| May 6, 2013 | Getafe 2 - Real Sociedad 1 | LIGA |
| Apr 28, 2013 | Real Sociedad 4 - Valencia CF 2 | LIGA |
| Apr 21, 2013 | Osasuna 0 - Real Sociedad 0 | LIGA |
| Returns: | Real Madrid £11.70 |
|
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| Returns: | Draw £610.00 |
|
Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached! | |
| Returns: | Real Sociedad £3310.00 |
|
Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached! |
| 1 | Iker Casillas | Goalkeeper |
| 24 | Ezequiel Garay | Defender |
| 85 | Lassana Diarra | Midfielder |
| 8 | Kaká | Midfielder |
| 10 | Mesut Özil | Midfielder |
| 2 | Ricardo Carvalho | Defender |
| 17 | Arbeloa | Defender |
| 12 | Marcelo | Defender |
| 7 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Striker |
| 10 | Emmanuel Adebayor | Striker |
| 14 | Xabi Alonso | Midfielder |
| 22 | Ángel Di María | Midfielder |
| 18 | Raúl Albiol Tortajada | Defender |
| 16 | Canales | Midfielder |
| 1 | Claudio Bravo | Goalkeeper |
| 4 | Mikel Labaka | Defender |
| 17 | Zurutuza | Midfielder |
| 10 | Xabi Prieto | Midfielder |
| 7 | Antoine Griezmann | Striker |
| 9 | Raúl Tamudo | Striker |
| 15 | Ion Gorostola | Defender |
| 3 | Mikel González Martínez | Defender |
| 4 | Gorka Gorka Elustondo Urkiola | Midfielder |
| 26 | Jeffrey Sarpong | Midfielder |
| 22 | Dani Estrada | Midfielder |
| 19 | Diego Rivas Gutiérrez | Midfielder |
| 5 | Markel Bergara | Midfielder |
| 9 | Imanol Agirretxe | Striker |
Jose Mourinho’s men have been perfect this season at the Bernabeu in league play, and they have to remain that way over the weekend if they are to hope to challenge Barcelona come May. Basque opponents don’t lie down easily in the capital, and Real Sociedad will certainly put up a strong fight.
Results
Times In BST
Live
Final
scheduled
Suspended
Cancelled
Postponed
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lionel Messi Striker Barcelona |
46 | 4 |
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Cristiano Ronaldo Striker Real Madrid |
34 | 6 |
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Radamel Falcao Striker Atl. Madrid |
28 | 8 |
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Roberto Soldado Striker Valencia |
21 | 5 |
|
Negredo Striker Sevilla |
20 | 3 |
