Atletico Madrid vs Real Sociedad
The 2026 Copa del Rey reaches its climax on Saturday, at the Estadio de Olimpico de la Cartuja in Seville, where Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad come face to face.
The Copa del Rey 2026 betting odds make Diego Simoene’s Atlerti the favourites, but they face a side which is brimming with confidence after climbing up the Primera Division table since the turn of the year.
Matarazzo Pellegrino’s Sociedad drew 3-3 away to Alaves last week, while Los Rojiblancos suffered a league defeat in Seville, which I’m sure they hope won’t be an omen. But Simeone’s men recovered to make their way through to the last four of Europe’s top competition just three days later. Atletico’s Champions League quarter final clash with Barcelona was some tie, as the Madrid side took a shock lead away from the Camp Nou.
On Tuesday, back on home soil, they began with a two goals advantage and, despite conceding two early goals as the Catalans flew out of the traps, Los Rojibloancos pulled off a memorable 3-2 aggregate win.
This Copa showcase promises to be a classic Spanish final, and we can make a case for both teams who will be determined to give their fans a treat in the hot atmosphere of Seville.
Talking Points
The Cups are Atleti’s priority
With such a busy week ahead, Atletico’s loss at Sevilla last weekend was not the ideal outcome but not entirely unexpected as Simeone rang the changes and it paid off.
Los Rojiblancos recent league clash with Barca was another big moment in Atleti’s campaign, as well as the Catalans, who plundered three late points to tighten their grip on the La Liga title. Meanwhile, Atleti’s Primera Division campaign is all but over; Simeone’s men are 22 points behind Barca and 11 ahead of fifth placed Real Betis, so it’s going to be either third or fourth and another Champions League campaign next term.
So the Copa and the Champions League are Atletico’s clear priorities. They pulled a superb win off on Tuesday when, at 2-2, Antoine Griezmann crossed for Ademola Lookman to half the deficit on the night and win the game 3-2 on aggregate. And now they can turn their attention to Saturday’s clash with Sociedad, but they might well be without their captain.
Centre back and skipper Jose Maria Gimenez missed the second leg against Barca and so Clement Lenglet is likely to continue at the back alongside Robin Le Normand.
Sociedad’s Season of two halves
La Real drew against Alaves last week to keep up their charge up the table and it has been quite a transformation for the Basque side, who started the season slowly and took an age to get going. Five wins from the first 19 games, and then six from the next 12 have seen Sociedad rise from the edge of the relegation zone, up to seventh place in the Primera Division and on the fringe of the race for Champions League places. They are four points behind Real Betis in fifth and look certain to improve on their 11th place finish last season. If Atletico win the Champions League then fifth place will qualify for next season’s top competition and that, or Europa League football, is some incentive.
While La Real laboured in La Liga, their Copa del Rey 2026 results have been good from the off and they totally deserve their chance of a title. Recent wins over Levante and Osasuna will give them plenty of confidence, as will the form of captain Mikel Oyarzabal who is full of goals and attacking threat, alongside Portuguese striker Gonzalo Guedes and the midfield pair of Brais Mendez and Carlos Soler.
This is a team playing with a swagger at just the right time.
History
This is Atleti’s 20th appearance in the Copa del Rey final, winning ten and losing nine; and this is their first final since their 2-1 win over Real Madrid in 2013. Real Sociedad have won two and lost four of their six Copa finals to date, and they too had a derby triumph on their last appearance, beating Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in the 2020 final.
Atletico have bossed the head to head encounters with the Basque giants, winning 26 to ten and there have been eight draws from the last 44 meetings in all competitions, but Sociedad have won the only Copa clash in those games. When the two clubs met last month Los Rojiblancos won 3-2 but they have struggled since and have won one and lost five of their last six games while Sociedad have won three, drawn one and lost two of their last six outings.
But to be fair, three of Los Rojiblancos’ losses have been at the hands of the El Clasico pair, two to Barcelona and one to Real Madrid, while La Real have enjoyed a gentler run of fixtures.
Betting Tip
Atleti are the favourites to win this tie in 90 minutes, at SBOTOP odds of 1.85, with Real Sociedad at 4.30. But recent form suggests the San Sebastian team can push Los Rojiblancos and, with more time to prepare I think they will at least take the match beyond normal time.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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