Real Sociedad return to Anoeta on Saturday afternoon with a chance to tighten their grip on the top-half places and keep the pressure on the European chasers above them. They start the weekend seventh in LaLiga on 41 points, which doesn’t scream comfort. One good week can drag them into the race for continental qualification; one bad one can leave them looking over their shoulder instead. That’s the reality of their season — decent, dangerous, but still a bit uneven.
For Deportivo Alavés, the objective is different and more urgent. Quique Sánchez Flores takes his side to San Sebastián sitting 15th on 32 points, hardly in free fall but nowhere near safe enough to relax. They’ve left points on the table too often, and a derby trip against a stronger side is not where struggling teams usually choose to reset. Still, there’s edge to this game. Local meetings rarely need much extra fuel, and Alavés have already shown this season that Real Sociedad can be rattled.
There’s cup history between them too. Real Sociedad beat Alavés 3-2 away in the Copa del Rey on 4 February to reach the next round, a result that matters here because it underlined two things at once: Sociedad can hurt this opponent, and Alavés are capable of making the game messy. That has been the shape of both teams for a while now.
Real Sociedad Form & Analysis
Matarazzo’s side arrive with four wins from their last six in all competitions, and that alone gives them a stronger feel than their league position might suggest. The run began with a gritty 1-0 win at Mallorca on 28 February, then a 1-0 home victory over Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey — the sort of result supporters remember. Sandwiched between those wins were two league defeats, 3-2 at Atlético Madrid and 3-1 at Villarreal, which exposed the inconsistency that has stopped Sociedad pushing higher up the table. They hit back well, though. A 3-1 home win over Osasuna was followed by last weekend’s controlled 2-0 success against Levante UD.
That Levante performance was the best recent snapshot of what this team looks like when it clicks. Sociedad posted 18 shots, created six big chances and finished with an xG of 2.78 while allowing just 0.28 at the other end. That’s domination, plain and simple. Jon Martin opened the scoring on 30 minutes, Brais Méndez sealed it late, and the whole thing was built on territorial control rather than frantic moments. You’d expect a side with their technical quality to create at home. The question has always been whether they can sustain it. Last weekend, they did.
Their home league record is solid enough to trust: eight wins, three draws and four defeats from 15 matches, with 29 goals scored and 21 conceded. Those numbers matter. Sociedad are averaging just under two goals a game at home, and while they don’t shut teams out every week, they do give themselves a platform. That’s the key here. The attack has produced 46 league goals overall, which is a healthy return for a side in seventh, but the 45 conceded explains why they haven’t broken into a higher bracket. They can be open. Too open at times. Still, against an Alavés side with a poor away record, the balance tilts in their favour.
Deportivo Alavés Form & Analysis
Alavés come into this one unbeaten in three, which sounds encouraging until you look a little closer. They drew 2-2 at home with Osasuna last weekend, won a wild 4-3 game away at Celta Vigo before the international break, and drew 1-1 at home with Villarreal. There’s fight there. There’s also chaos. Before that, they lost 3-2 at Valencia and 2-0 at Levante, while a 2-2 draw with Girona back on 23 February set the tone for a run where defending has become a genuine problem.
The Osasuna draw summed them up. Alavés were 2-0 up through goals from Valentin Rosier and Toni Martínez and looked set to bank three valuable points. Then the game slipped. Osasuna scored from the spot on 80 minutes, then grabbed another penalty in stoppage time after a VAR intervention. A red card to Asier Osambela in added time only added to the mess. Even the underlying numbers were awkward: Alavés generated 1.28 xG and allowed just 0.52, yet still failed to win. That sort of game can bruise a side mentally. When you’re down near the bottom, those late collapses linger.
Their away record is the real warning sign. Three wins, two draws and 10 defeats on the road tells a harsh story, and so does the goal difference: 13 scored, 25 conceded. That’s one of the weaker away profiles in the division. They have found goals lately — both teams have scored in six of their last seven games, which says plenty — but clean sheets have dried up completely. In fact, they haven’t kept one in 12 matches. You can’t keep giving teams a goal start, especially not away to a side with Sociedad’s home threat.
And yet, there is one thing Alavés do bring. They stay in games. The 4-3 win at Celta showed they can trade punches, and the narrow defeat at Valencia had the same energy. Can they keep this one close? Yes, probably. Can they control it? That feels far less likely.
Head-to-Head
This fixture has had a nasty habit of producing awkward afternoons for Real Sociedad, and that’s worth respecting. Alavés won 1-0 in the reverse league meeting in December, and they also beat Sociedad by the same scoreline in April 2025. Even at Anoeta, this hasn’t always been comfortable for the home side, with Alavés winning 2-1 there in August 2024.
That said, the freshest cup meeting points the other way. Sociedad won 3-2 away on 4 February in the Copa del Rey, and that result feels more relevant than older history because it reflects the current version of both teams: Sociedad with enough attacking quality to edge it, Alavés with enough threat to make them work.
We Predict: Home Win
Home Win at 1.73 is the obvious play and, more importantly, the right one. Sociedad’s home record is strong at 8-3-4, they’ve won four of their last six in all competitions, and their most recent outing against Levante was the sort of controlled display you want to see before backing a favourite. Alavés, by contrast, have lost 10 of 15 away league games and haven’t kept a clean sheet in 12 matches. That’s a bad mix against a side creating as much as Sociedad did last weekend.
There is a small catch. Alavés do carry a goal threat and they’ve made recent games scrappy, high-event affairs, so this may not be the serene home win the price hints at. Still, Sociedad should have enough. The projected scoreline of 2-1 feels about right, with the home side’s stronger attacking structure and better home habits proving decisive. If you wanted a secondary angle, both teams to score has some appeal given Alavés’ recent scoring run and Sociedad’s occasional softness at the back.
