A ticket to Europe

When the two teams Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao meet on the 17th matchday of the Spanish La Liga, there will be an exciting duel for the European places. Third place in the table welcomes seventh place Athletic Bilbao at home in a game with no clear favorites.

The odds ahead of Saturday's game are pretty even. The bookmakers find it difficult to agree on a clear favorite and currently see the hosts Real Sociedad with a slight lead for the La Liga game.
The table of this year's La Liga season remains exciting. Especially in the upper middle of the table, every point is fought for and at the same time for the much sought-after European places.

In the Spanish first division, the top four teams qualify directly for the Champions League, those in fifth place qualify for the Europa League and sixth place takes part in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualification. The San Sebastián hosts are currently third in the table , the best side behind giants Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. This would qualify you directly for the Champions League participation.Opponents Athletic Bilbao are still struggling to secure a place in Europe and currently sit seventh , first place not to qualify for any of the three European Cups. On Saturday you could secure important points for the rest of the season and placement.

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Real Sociedad analysis

In the run-up to the season, nobody would have predicted that the season would go so well at this point. Even the most hopeful fans of the home team could hardly have dreamed of this success so far. They are third in La Liga, behind only Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Nine points adrift of leaders Barcelona, ​​while winning the league seems unlikely, staying third and qualifying for the Champions League would be a huge achievement. In the Europa League, they were the first in group E, even ahead of Manchester United, having qualified for the next round skipping the intermediate one. They are also through to the next round of the Spanish Cup, the Copa del Rey, and meet RCD Mallorca in the round of 16 next week. So they still have a chance of winning the title in all competitions they compete.

Even if they have delivered the season above expectations so far, there is still potential for improvement. If they want to keep their good position and go further in all competitions, then the performance has to be improved in the future. Especially against the top teams they could not really convince so far. They drew against fifth-placed Atlético Madrid. They lost 2-0 to Betis Sevilla, currently fourth in the table, and lost 4-1 to leaders and league favorites FC Barcelona. That they can convince even against the better teams, they could already show this season. The potential of the team from San Sebastián could be seen, for example, against Manchester United, which they defeated in the Europa League and thus won the group.

The team from northern Spain will have to do without a number of players for Saturday's game. Changes will have to be made, especially on the offensive side, as three out of five injury-related absences came from the front of the field. Álex Sola, one of the right-backs, will be absent in defense. However, this has not played a major role this season and will not hurt the tactics too much. The same goes for midfielder Beñat Turrientes, who was brought up from the second team in the summer. Left winger Martín Merquelanz and the two strikers Carlos Fernández and Umar Sadiq fall on the offensive due to her injury. The latter is Sociedad's most valuable offensive player.

Athletic Bilbao analysis

Bilbao are currently looking set to have their best La Liga season in a long time. Now the goal will be to reach a place that leads to an european competition. They can tick off the league win, but anything is still possible in the Copa del Rey. Here they meet Espanyol in the round of 16. An interesting fact is that Bilbao have won the Copa del Rey 24 times. This makes it the team with the second most successes behind Barcelona, ​​even ahead of Real Madrid.

The seventh place in the table does not reflect the actual potential of the away team. The 24 goals scored so far in La Liga are the third best value in the entire Spanish first division. They are also strong defensively. The 14 goals conceded, which the defensive allowed, is also the fifth best value in the league. The potential is definitely there and now it will only be important to show this even more strongly in the rest of the season.

In terms of injury problems, the visitors from Bilbao clearly have better cards for the encounter against Sociedad. In comparison to the five listed injuries at the opponent, only one player was reported as injured. Iñigo Martínez, the most valuable player in the Bilbao defense, is sidelined indefinitely with a foot injury.

Real Sociedad - Athletic Bilbao: What to expect? 

The direct comparison of the last encounters between the two teams clearly goes to Sociedad. In the last ten games against each other, the San Sebastián side have won six times. Twice they parted without a clear winner with a draw. Only twice did Bilbao emerge victorious. However, the statistics are not as meaningful as they seem at first glance, especially in recent times. Bilbao clearly won the last meeting in February last year 4-0 . The two previous matches ended in a draw.

The two teams will face each other on an equal footing. This is also reflected in our tips and forecast. Similar to the bookmakers, we do not expect a goal spectacle in the Reale Stadium. That's why we recommend Under 2.5 goals as a tip, which is available for a 1.63 odds. Furthermore, we don't think both teams will score. The tip Both teams score no is currently rated at 1.80 odds.

• Under 2.5 at odds of 1.63
• Both teams to score NO at odds of 1.80

* All odds and markets are correct at time of publication and subject to change.