Real Sociedad defender Iñigo Martinez (L) competes for the ball against Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal. (Photo : Getty Images)
Mercurial squads Real Sociedad (3-4-1, 10 points) and Deportivo Alaves (2-2-4, 10 points) are set to square off at the Anoeta Stadium on Oct. 22, Saturday as round 9 of the 2016-2017 La Liga season moves forward.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 12:30 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
Real Sociedad has been struggling to be consistent in winning during the first eight rounds of Spanish top flight competitions. The team has alternated losing and winning in their last five matches to drop to the 10th spot of the league table at the moment.
After pulling off a 1-0 victory over Real Betis, Txuriurdin was then nipped by Athletic Bilbao in a high-scoring 2-3 affair at the San Mamés Stadium on Sunday, as per ESPN.
La Real midfielder David Zurutuza scored the opening goal of the match in the 16th minute with a right-footed shot from the center of the box off a header pass by teammate Xabi Prieto. The one-point lead was kept by Sociedad until the first half ended.
However, Los Leones unleashed three straight goals after the restart as Iker Muniain, Aritz Aduriz, and Iñaki Williams netted a goal each in the 51st, 60th, and 72nd minutes respectively, to completely obliterate the visitors' first-half advantage and take a 3-1 lead with time running out in the contest.
Center-back Iñigo Martinez was able to trim the gap to a point with a difficult header in the 83rd, but it was all manager Eusebio Sacristán's side could do to come up short in their attempted comeback.
Meanwhile, Alaves settled for a 1-1 draw with Malaga at the Mendizorrotza Stadium also on Sunday as both sides were down to 10 men to finish the game, the Business Standard reported.
Alaves striker Deyverson opened the scoring in the ninth minute before Malaga defender Roberto Rosales found the equalizer with five minutes remaining before full-time, forcing the tie and a share of a point in the standings.
El Glorioso defender Theo Hernández and Malaga midfielder Juanpi were sent off in stoppage time as both received their second yellow cards.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a close 2-1 win by Real Sociedad.
Real Sociedad starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Rulli; C. Martinez, Navas, I. Martinez, Berchiche; Prieto, Illarramendi, Zurutuza; Vela, Jose, Oyarzabal
Alaves starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Pacheco; Vigaray, Laguardia, Feddal, Hernandez; Camarasa, Llorente, Garcia; Ortega, Deyverson, Katai
