Overview
Atletico Madrid lost 1-2 at home to Barcelona in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, but still qualified for the semi-finals with a total score of 3-2. Diego Simeone's team will face Arsenal in the next round.
However, Atletico's recent form is very worrying as they have lost 5 of their last 6 matches in all competitions, including a 1-2 defeat to Sevilla in La Liga. This result caused the Madrid team to drop to fourth place, 22 points behind Barcelona.
Atletico almost has no chance to compete for the La Liga championship this season, but still has hope of winning titles in cup competitions. They are aiming for the 11th Copa del Rey championship in history.
The last time Atletico won the championship was in the 2012-2013 season, when they defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in the final. However, the red and white team has not had a good recent record against Real Sociedad in this arena, losing in both of their most recent encounters, including a 0-2 defeat in the round of 1/8 in 2022.
In terms of head-to-head history at the Copa del Rey, Real Sociedad is slightly ahead with 6 wins compared to Atletico's 4, including a memorable victory in the 1987 final after a penalty shootout.
However, if calculated in all competitions, Atletico has the upper hand with 80 wins after 164 encounters, including a 3-2 victory in their most recent La Liga encounter in March.
Real Sociedad has not been able to defeat Atletico since their victory in the 1/8 round of the Copa del Rey in January 2022, but they have an advantage in terms of fitness when they have a whole week of preparation for this match.
In the most recent match, La Real drew 3-3 against Alaves, thereby ranking 7th in the standings, only 2 points behind Celta Vigo in the race to win tickets to European cups.
Coach Pellegrino Matarazzo's team has overcome Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals, and the favorable head-to-head record at the Copa del Rey brings confidence before the final.
However, Real Sociedad has only won this tournament 3 times, the most recent being the 2019-2020 season after a victory over Athletic Bilbao.
Personnel situation
Atletico Madrid continues to be without the services of Pablo Barrios due to a thigh injury. Meanwhile, Jose Gimenez and David Hancko are considered the top choices for the Copa del Rey final.
Juan Musso's impressive form in recent times has brought peace of mind in goal. However, Jan Oblak - who has recovered from injury - may return to the main squad, marking his first appearance since the beginning of March.
In midfield, Johnny Cardoso is ready to return, but Koke is likely to still keep a starting spot. In attack, Antoine Griezmann will play alongside Julian Alvarez, while Alexander Sorloth is likely to be on the bench.
On the other side, Real Sociedad is likely to continue to give Unai Marrero the opportunity to start in the Copa del Rey, as the 24-year-old goalkeeper is being trusted in this arena.
The Basque team suffered a personnel loss when Inaki Ruperez, Jon Gorrotxategi, Yangel Herrera, Igor Zubeldia and Alvaro Odriozola were all absent due to injury. However, Sergio Gomez's red card in the match against Alaves did not apply at Copa del Rey, so this player is still eligible to play.
In attack, Mikel Oyarzabal is expected to return to the starting lineup after being rested in the match against Alaves. The Spanish striker has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season, including 2 goals in the Copa del Rey.
Expected lineup:
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Molina, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggeri, Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Lookman, Alvarez, Griezmann.
Real Sociedad: Marrero, Aramburu, Martin, Elustondo, Gomez, Soler, Turrientes, Sucic, Mendez, Barrenetxea, Oyarzabal.
The match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad takes place at 2:00 a.m. on April 19 (Vietnam time).
