In the words of Lorde: “And we’ll never be royals (royals). It don’t run in our blood. That kind of luxe just ain’t for us.” But this match is all about royal blood; at least in the namesake. As it’s a Real (Spanish for royal) Derby. Real Madrid currently sits on the throne in the La Liga table, as they’re aiming for league title regime change this season; i.e. hoping usurp the crown from archrival FC Barcelona.
Real Sociedad is hoping to enter the nobility class.
Real Sociedad at Real Madrid FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Sept. 16, 8pm, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Position, Form: Real Madrid 1st, 12 pts, WWWW Real Sociedad 8th, 6 pts, WDDD
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid 59% Draw 23% Real Sociedad 18%
Real Madrid Team News
Ferland Mendy has an unspecified muscular injury, but he seems to be on the road to recovery. He could feature here; ditto for Dani Ceballos, who has apparently recovered from a hamstring issue.
Elsewhere The Next Big Thing Arda Guler is moving closer towards a return from his knee injury, but this match will come too soon for him. Also you have the long-term injury absentees:
Vinicius Jr. (thigh) is out until next month, Thibaut Courtois (ACL) is out for most of the season and Eder Militao (also an ACL) is done for the year.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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