Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
In the final round of the Spanish La Liga, Real Madrid will host Real Sociedad. The match is set to take place in Madrid on Saturday, May 24, with kickoff scheduled for 16:15 Central European Time. I'm backing a bet on the game's total goals.
Match preview
The Madrid giants are finishing this season on a somber note. Ancelotti's squad ends the campaign trophyless, and the renowned Italian manager will leave the club to take over the Brazil national team.
A new era is also set to dawn at Real this summer. Florentino Pérez has reached an agreement with Xabi Alonso, who has already announced his departure from Bayer and is ready for a new challenge. Major squad changes are clearly on the horizon.
Los Blancos have secured the talented Spanish international defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth, while Trent Alexander-Arnold has arrived from Liverpool. This appears to be just the start of a major transfer campaign, as the club still has plenty of positions to strengthen.
The match against Sociedad holds no real significance in the standings. The only intrigue lies in Kylian Mbappé's relentless goal-scoring hunger. The French superstar continues to rack up goals as he chases both the La Liga Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe. He has seamlessly adapted to life at the Bernabéu, embracing the role of team leader and making history as the club's best-ever debutant.
Real Sociedad are also playing for pride, having already missed out on European qualification. In the previous five seasons, the Basques never finished lower than sixth, but this campaign has fallen short of those standards.
Just one win in their last five matches has knocked the San Sebastián club out of the running for European spots. Oyarzabal keeps scoring at his usual rate, but overall, the team's attack has been lackluster — just 35 goals in 37 matches is far below fans' expectations.
Only Getafe and Valladolid have scored fewer, so 11th place is a fair reflection of their season. They can't climb above 10th now, but ending the year on a positive note would be a welcome boost.
Most likely, this will be Martín Zubimendi's last match in a Sociedad shirt, with a summer move to Madrid on the cards. It has also been confirmed that head coach Imanol Alguacil will leave after the season ends.
Match facts
- Real Madrid have kept just one clean sheet in their last five matches.
- Los Blancos have won three consecutive home games.
- Sociedad have managed only one win in their last seven outings.
- The Basques are winless in three consecutive away matches.
- Real Madrid average 2.45 goals per home game, while Real Sociedad average 0.85 goals per away game.
Probable lineups
- Real Madrid: Courtois, Vázquez, Ramon, Vallejo, García, Valverde, Ceballos, Modrić, Güler, Endrick, Mbappé.
- Real Sociedad: Remiro, Muñoz, Zubeldia, Elustondo, Traoré, Zubimendi, Marín, Méndez, Barrenetxea, Kubo, Oyarzabal.
H2H
- The last six meetings between these teams have all produced a winner — no draws.
- Sociedad haven't won a La Liga match in Madrid since 2019.
Prediction
Carlo Ancelotti's final match in charge of Real Madrid simply has to end on a positive note for his side. Despite a serious injury crisis, the players are sure to give their all on the pitch as a tribute to the Italian manager. However, I doubt this will be a high-scoring affair, given that neither side has much left to play for. My pick: under 3.5 total goals.
