(Football news) Real Madrid lost 4-2 to Girona last week which effectively ended their title defense. However, they did bounce back with a 4-2 win at home over Almeria. Los Blancos’ defence is still looking very weak but Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping to rectify that as they take Real Sociedad away from home.

Real Madrid will want to stay ahead of Atletico Madrid who are just 2 points behind. More than that they will be keen to keep up the momentum ahead of the Copa Del Rey final against Osasuna on Sunday. La Real on the other hand are looking to solidify their 4th spot. Villarreal are just 5 points behind which makes this game very important for them.

Real Madrid will be without Vinicius Jr and Eduardo Camavinga who are suspended after picking up a yellow card against Almeria. Rodrygo is likely to play in his preferred left-wing spot while Nacho will fill in at left-back. There are reports in Spain which suggest that Eden Hazard could get a rare start which will only be his 2nd of the season.

David Alaba has returned to training but he is still not match fit and could come back at the weekend. Luka Modric is completing his recovery quicker than expected but this game still comes too soon for the Croatian who will be aiming to return for the Copa Del Rey final on Sunday. Carlo Ancelotti did say that Karim Benzema is a little tired but he is still likely to play some part in the game.

Fede Valverde and Dani Carvajal were benched on the weekend and they are likely to come back into the starting line-up. Lucas Vazquez and Toni Kroos are likely to drop to the bench while Dani Ceballos and Aurélien Tchouaméni could keep their place in the line-up. Real Sociedad will be without Diego Rico, Sadiq Umar, and Martin Merquelanz.

Takefusa Kubo could start the game against his former club and he will be keen to impress the Merengues. Real Madrid still retain 50% of the player’s rights and a good performance in this game could earn him a move back to the Santiago Bernabéu.

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