The first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final between Real Sociedad and Real Madrid will take place on February 26 at the Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastián. Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Real Sociedad
Imanol Alguacil's team has already advanced through five rounds of the Copa del Rey. They faced challenges only in the second stage, where they needed extra time to overcome Conquense. Subsequently, the San Sebastián side won by a two-goal margin, defeating La Liga representatives in the previous two stages: Rayo Vallecano (3-1) and Osasuna (2-0) at home. Last season, the Basques also reached the semi-finals but lost to Mallorca over two legs.
- The club has not lost in regular time in their last 12 Copa del Rey matches (9 wins and 3 draws).
- At least one team failed to score in 13 of Real Sociedad's last 16 matches in this tournament.
- No more than two goals were scored in regular time in 12 of the last 15 matches involving the Basques in the Copa del Rey.
Predicted lineup for Real Sociedad (4-4-2)
Alejandro Remiro – Aritz Elustondo, Nayef Aguerd, Igor Zubeldia, Aihen Muñoz – Brais Méndez, Pablo Marín Tejada, Takefusa Kubo, Martín Zubimendi – Ander Barrenetxea, Mikel Oyarzabal.
Defender Jon Pacheco and midfielder Arsen Zakharyan are sidelined due to injuries.
Real Madrid
In their first round of the current Copa del Rey, Madrid had no issues, thrashing Deportivo Minero 5-0 away. However, Carlo Ancelotti's side faced tougher challenges against La Liga teams, needing extra time to defeat Celta Vigo at home (2-2, 3-0 in extra time) and overcoming Leganés away (3-2). If Madrid can get past the Basques, they will reach the final for the first time in two years.
- The club has not lost in regular time in their last seven Copa del Rey matches (5 wins and 2 draws).
- At least three goals were scored in 90 minutes in Real Madrid's last seven matches in this tournament.
- Both teams scored in regular time in 5 of Madrid's last 6 Copa del Rey matches.
Predicted lineup for Real Madrid (4-2-3-1)
Andriy Lunin – Jacobo Ramón, Raúl Asensio, Ferland Mendy, Federico Valverde – Aurélien Tchouaméni, Luka Modric – Brahim Díaz, Arda Güler, Rodrygo Goes – Endrick Felipe.
Defenders Jesús Vallejo, Éder Militão, and Dani Carvajal are out due to injuries. Federico Valverde is expected to be rested for this match. Forward Kylian Mbappé will also miss the game due to wisdom tooth surgery.
Referee
José María Sánchez Martínez (Spain)
Matches – 16 (La Liga and Copa del Rey, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 78;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.9;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 63%.
Match Prediction: Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid
Madrid is currently facing a very tight schedule. The team has had tough matches against Manchester City in the Champions League, with more challenging games in the European competition's round of 16 against Atlético coming up. There are also demanding fixtures in La Liga. Carlo Ancelotti will need to give some rest to his key players, which Real Sociedad might capitalize on.
Despite Real Sociedad's low position in La Liga, they have impressive home stats. Since November, the Basques have played 13 official matches, suffering only one defeat (11 wins and 1 draw). Interestingly, in this series, they kept a clean sheet 9 times and conceded more than one goal only twice.
I believe one of La Liga's best defensive lines can contain Madrid's attacking prowess and concede no more than one goal. My prediction: Real Madrid individual total under 1.5 goals
