The Basque derby is going to take place on Sunday, 24 November, at the San Mamés Stadium between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad with a slight advantage for Athletic Bilbao if we consider the standings of La Liga since they are two points above Real Sociedad.

At the same time, Real Sociedad are on a great run of form as they have just won against Barcelona before the international break and are therefore confident enough in their abilities to win the Basque derby.

Real Sociedad are holding the 8th position with 18 points, five wins, three draws and five losses.

It is true that 13 losses in 13 games is quite high for a team that wants to reach “European” spots at the end of the season, yet Real Sociedad could create surprises and win games while putting on convincing performances.

Overall, scoring 11 goals in 13 games and conceding 10 means that both the attacking and defensive phases must be improved if Imanol Alguacil’s side wants to finish the season successfully.

By winning the Basque derby, Real Sociedad can open the door to additional wins and build on their good run of form by winning more valuable points.

On the other hand, Athletic Club have collected 20 points so far.

They are striving to extend the gap between them and their direct opponents (such as Real Sociedad, Mallorca, Real Betis), knowing that a win in the derby would give them an extra push towards extending this gap.

Moreover, the psychological impact of winning such rivalry games will surely be important for Athletic Club in the upcoming matches.

The fact that both teams play in the Europa League makes things even more challenging for both sides, as they play nearly the same number of games and have almost the same rhythm.

In this tactical analysis preview of the Basque derby, we will explore both teams’ tactics, formations, and, more importantly, how both teams would have to play to avoid defeat and have more chances to win.

Therefore, the analysis will study both teams’ attacking and defensive phases, identifying what they should avoid and what they need to rely on to win.

Athletic Club Vs Real Sociedad Formations And Lineups

Based on their recent games and Ernesto Valverde’s tactics and formations in the latest period with Athletic Club, we can say that Valverde's formation will most likely opt for the 4-2-3-1 set-up.

He always prefers to use this formation, which guarantees the wingers’ three, which is very important for Athletic Club.

Iñaki Williams, Nico Williams and Nico Serrano are very dangerous and relied on to create opportunities, whether using crosses or by penetrating towards the box and using their agility and dribbling skills to create spaces inside the box and eventually goalscoring chances.

At the same time, relying on an attacking playmaker makes Athletic Club’s attacks more dangerous, as names like Oihan Sancet, Álex Berenguer, and Unai Gómez have always been very useful.

Moreover, their number one goalkeeper, Unai Simón's comeback from injury would surely boost the team's performance and confidence in winning this match.

With that being said, Valverde would most likely opt for Unai Simón as a goalkeeper, Óscar de Marcos, Dani Vivian, Aitor Paredes, and Adama Boiro in defence, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarret and Beñat Prados as central midfielders, Sancet as an advanced playmaker, both Iñaki Williams and Nico Williams as wingers while Gorka Guruzeta would be the team’s striker.

On the other hand, for Real Sociedad, Igor Zubeldia and Orri Óskarsson’s participation in the derby remains doubtful.

At the same time, Martin Zubimendi and Hamari Traore have already been ruled out of the game.

Zubimendi’s absence would surely represent an issue for Imanol Alguacil, who is more likely to replace him with Sergio Gómez.

Although the two players do not have the same qualities in terms of playmaking and vision, Sergio Gómez can prove very useful in this game if he maintains his good form following his latest performance in the UEFA Europa League.

Other than that, the team will more likely play with the same line-up that won against Barcelona, according to the 4-1-4-1 formation with Álex Remiro as a goalkeeper, Jon Aramburu, Igor Zubeldia, Nayef Aguerd and Aihen Muñoz in defence, Sergio Gómez as a defensive midfielder, Luka Sučić and Brais Méndez as central midfielders, Takefusa Kubo and Sheraldo Becker as wingers, and the captain Mikel Oyarzabal as a striker.

Athletic Club Vs Real Sociedad Formations

Athletic Club's Match Plan

Athletic Club will have to start the match with great intensity and exploit the fact that they play at home by trying to press high on Real Sociedad to force them to make mistakes.

The Bilbao side can be very successful in starting the match this way, as they have the pace and dribbling skills needed to disturb Real Sociedad’s defence early in the game, especially by relying on the wings.

Moreover, relying on Serrano on the wing can also be a good choice, as the left-footed winger is actually in good form and has just scored his first goal of the season in the latest Europa League encounter.

Using an inverted winger on the right wing can create real problems for Real Sociedad, and Willimas can also create issues on the left wing.

The latest goal Serrano scores highlights the winger’s ability to score from difficult angles, dribble well while cutting inside, and create a shooting trajectory for himself.

This creative creation of spaces inside the box would greatly serve Athletic Club in such a complicated game.

Athletic Club's Goal In The Europa League

Early crosses have also proven very useful for Athletic Club.

They often surprise opponents with such crosses and advance in numbers to confuse the opposition’s marking plans and find a goalscoring header, as they did in the following example against Real Betis.

Crossing will be a reliable tool to score against Real Sociedad and Berenguer.

Williams and the players coming from the back should concretely exploit these chances, move without the ball inside the box to free themselves, and deal well with the cross.

Athletic Club’s Goal Against Real Betis

That being said, Athletic Club will need to organise their defensive line and plan better, as they will need to be very compact to prevent crucial goals from being conceded.

Bilbao concedes 0.93 goals per game, which is a fairly good average, but it can be improved by avoiding recurrent mistakes.

For instance, working on how the team marks strikers inside the box during crosses or set-pieces is essential to avoid leaving spaces for these opponents to shoot freely.

Athletic Club have already conceded goals due to poor marking inside the box.

Avoiding such marking mistakes would help the team concede fewer goals and win more points.

The following conceded goal against Real Valladolid highlights the marking issues within Athletic Club’s defence.

De Marcos left too much space for his direct opponent at the moment of the cross while remaining static and moving towards the ball only when it was too late.

Following the striker’s movements while the ball is being crossed is crucial in these situations to avoid leaving these players the needed time and space to score.

Real Valladolid’s Goal Against Athletic Club

Real Sociedad’s Match Plan

For Real Sociedad, building on the win against Barcelona will be important, yet it will also be essential not to start this match with extra confidence that might lead to errors.

To avoid conceding an early goal, the team will need to find the right balance, start the game with extra attention, and be willing to resist Athletic Club's expected initial intensity.

Why not counter their attempts with a dangerous counterattack?

Therefore, it will be preferable for Real Sociedad to rely on penetrations from the wings and surprising passes behind the opposing defensive line to punish Athletic Club, who will more likely opt for a high defensive line, at least in the first minutes of the game.

Real Sociedad surprised Barcelona with an interception and an assist, which Becker exploited very well by running behind the defensive line, surpassing his two markers, and finishing the ball accurately.

This type of action will also be needed against Athletic Club, and it will not be easy to score against their organised defence using regular attacks.

Real Sociedad’s Goal Against Barcelona

Moreover, Real Sociedad can exploit Athletic Club's weaknesses in man-marking during crosses and use that in their favour by intensifying crosses whenever possible and using the height and finishing abilities of Orri Óskarsson if his participation will be confirmed.

Real Sociedad has already scored numerous goals thanks to crosses from Oyarzabal or both wingers, knowing that the players coming from behind can also be very useful in such actions.

Real Sociedad’s Goal Against Viktoria Plzeň

Similar to Athletic Club, Real Sociedad has conceded many goals due to poor marking inside the box during crosses and set-pieces (mainly corners), and they must find concrete solutions to this issue as soon as possible to reduce the number of conceded goals per game.

Moreover, allowing strikers and opponents to come from behind extra space inside the box without being very reactive or aggressive in clearing the ball away has been causing many problems for Real Sociedad’s defence lately.

Remaining static and letting opponents move freely without the ball at the edge of the box to receive passes into space and have the time to shoot should not be re-allowed by Real Sociedad’s defenders as they always need to be attentive to the movements around them, knowing that the goalscorer in the following action turned at the back of the defence and then received the ball, without being noticed at all.

Anderlecht’s Goal Against Real Sociedad

Conclusion

Both teams have equal chances to win the game, with Athletic Club having a slight advantage as hosts.

At the same time, playing at home might add to the derby pressure for Athletic Club.

Real Sociedad should use this pressure in their favour by exploiting any half-chance they get, especially regarding counterattacks.