A derby arriving on a run of form
Real Sociedad go to San Mamés on 1 November 2026 in good shape. [1] notes that they have won four of their last five matches and are fifth in LaLiga with 19 points. The club’s own records show the detail: six wins, one draw and three defeats from ten games, with 19 goals scored and 18 conceded.
The recent results are wins of 2-1 at home to Levante, 5-2 away at Málaga, 3-2 at home to Deportivo La Coruña and 3-2 away at Valencia. The one defeat in that five-match window was a 0-3 home loss to Atlético Madrid on 13 September. The pattern is clear. This side scores freely, with 13 goals in the last four wins, but it also concedes. Those four wins let in eight goals between them, and the goal difference over the season is only +1.
That makes the derby a useful test. A team that has been trading goals with sides from the lower half of the table now faces a local rival, and the question is whether the same open approach holds up in a hostile ground.
Team news: one injury, one absence
The injury list is short. According to [2], Real Sociedad finished their penultimate training session before the derby with no new medical problems, which leaves 23 players available. Álvaro Odriozola is out and is described as the only absentee in that report.
A second absence emerged a day later. [3] reports that Arsen Zakharyan is not in the squad for the visit to Athletic, and that Matarazzo had anticipated this. The same article describes the impact as limited, because Zakharyan was not part of the coach’s regular rotations. That is a squad-list decision rather than an injury, which is why the two reports differ on who is missing.
One more point concerns Orri Steinn Óskarsson. Both Marca pieces expect him to start on the bench rather than in the first XI. One source rates that as a rumour with fairly good confidence and the other as doubtful, so it is a likely call rather than a settled one. The input contains no injury, suspension or line-up news for Athletic.
The likely line-up and open questions
Behind the attack, the picture is fairly stable. Marca’s reports point to Álex Remiro in goal, with Aramburu, Jon Martín, Mamadou Sarr and Sergio Gómez across the back. Those names are expected rather than confirmed, and the more recent report puts the defensive group at moderate confidence.
Midfield is where the uncertainty sits. Jon Gorrotxategi appears to have moved ahead of Yangel Herrera, according to both reports, although the confidence attached to that is low. Carlos Soler and Beñat Turrientes are competing for the other midfield place or places. Matarazzo has not made his choice public, so any reading of this area is provisional.
In attack, Mikel Oyarzabal and Gonçalo Guedes are expected to start. The earlier report says Luka Sučić, Ander Barrenetxea and Takefusa Kubo are competing for the other two attacking spots. If Óskarsson is indeed on the bench, Sociedad would begin with a more mobile front line and keep a central option for later in the game. That is an inference from the reports, not a stated plan.
What it means
Fifth place with 19 points from 10 games puts Real Sociedad inside the European conversation, and a result at Athletic would strengthen that. The form line supports it: four wins in five, and 13 goals across the last four of those wins. The weak spot is the defence. Eighteen goals conceded in ten games, and eight in the last four wins, mean the record rests on scoring more than the opposition.
The next fixture asks a specific question. Can a side that has been winning high-scoring games hold its shape away from home in a derby, with a midfield that is still being sorted out? Matarazzo is rotating in the middle and has left Óskarsson out of the expected XI, so the balance of the team may look different from the one that beat Levante.
predict.game’s forecast for Athletic Club v Real Sociedad locks 24 hours before kick-off and will be graded publicly once the match is played. The numbers above are the context: a team in form, a modest goal difference, one injury, one squad omission and a few open selection decisions.
