Real Sociedad face Barcelona on Thursday (stream live on ESPN+ in the U.S. at 3 p.m. ET) for a place in Copa del Rey semifinals. How they’d love to repeat their Copa triumph of 2020 when, glory of glories, they beat Athletic Club 1-0 in the final. However, the last time they won at Camp Nou all of their scorers were English (Liverpool legend John Aldridge, plus the late Dalian Atkinson) because it was 31 years ago.
A few days after that quarterfinal the Txuri Urdin, who are three points off second place in LaLiga, go to the Bernabeu to confront an unpredictable, but still favourite Real Madrid. Yet if Real Sociedad are somehow to win the Spanish title for the first time in nearly half a century they need to live up to Zubimendi’s words and beat the current champions. Like winning at Camp Nou: it’s not something the club are particularly used to doing. But Imanol’s team, where 37-year-old magician David Silva‘s tricks remain the elixir for some remarkable results, do at least have a win and a draw in their last four visits to Los Blancos’ HQ.
Aperribay recently announced: “In La Liga we want to consistently be in the European places but fighting with the maximum ambition. We have to do our work right until we are champions again. We must NEVER think that there are dreams beyond our reach or that winning the title is “something for other clubs.”
It’s a legitimate query, for those in blue and white who think that this squad has outside title potential, as to where the killer goals might come from? Not since Nihat Kahveci, 20 years ago, have La Real had someone who bulged the net with elite regularity. (The Turkey international scored 23 times in LaLiga and Real Sociedad finished second, two points off the top, in 2002-03.)
RB Leipzig loanee Alexander Sorloth, who’ll torment Spain for Norway (alongside with Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard) when qualification for Euro 2024 begins in March, is looking as confident and dangerous as at any time in his nine-club career with eight goals in 14 games. But his record since plundering 24 in 34 on loan at Trabzonspor in Turkey three years ago is still variable.
