Real Sociedad hosts Los Blancos in second Copa del Rey semi-final

Real Sociedad and Real Madrid are set to face off in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, with Sociedad looking to use their home advantage to secure a crucial win. The hosts are on a hot streak, having won five consecutive games on their own turf across all competitions, and will be aiming to make it six in a row, something they haven’t achieved in five years.

However, Sociedad’s record against Real Madrid is far from impressive, having won just three of their last 18 meetings on home soil. Despite this, Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil will be drawing inspiration from his team’s 2019/20 Copa del Rey triumph, which saw them beat Real Madrid 4-3 at the Santiago Bernabéu in the quarter-finals.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, will be looking to avoid a repeat of that defeat as they hunt down their 21st Copa del Rey success. The club trails Barcelona (31) and Athletic Club (24) in the all-time Copa del Rey winners list, but manager Carlo Ancelotti will be confident of masterminding a repeat of their 2022/23 triumph 

Ancelotti boasts a strong personal record against Sociedad, having won eight of their previous meetings (D1, L2), with his side scoring at least twice in eight of those matches. Real Madrid’s recent form has also been impressive, with the team unbeaten in their last six matches across all competitions (W4, D2).

Real Madrid’s attack, led by superstars such as Karim Benzema and Luka Modrić, will be a major threat to Sociedad’s hopes of securing a win. Modrić, in particular, has been in fine form, scoring a spectacular long-range volley against Girona on Sunday to extend his own record as Los Blancos’ oldest-ever scorer.

Sociedad will be relying on players like Takefusa Kubo to make an impact against their former side. Kubo scored against Leganés at the weekend but has a modest record against Real Madrid, having scored just once in 11 previous meetings.

The match promises to be an exciting encounter, with both teams looking to secure a crucial advantage ahead of the second leg. Sociedad will be hoping to use their home advantage to full effect, while Real Madrid will be relying on their superstar-laden attack to break down the hosts’ defense.