Real Sociedad Team News Page 15 - Soccer

Mikel Oyarzabal - Training Monday Oyarzabal (knee) was viewed in training Monday and may make a return in Tuesday's Copa del Rey match against Almeria, as manager Imanol Alguacil told reporters, "Mikel is progressi...

Impact Oyarzabal looks to be making decent progress on his return, hoping to take the field again this week after missing the club's past four matches due to his knee issues. The attacker was selected for the squad list for Tuesday's Copa del Rey clash, so there is a chance he will get his return outside of league play then. However, the club may take his recovery cautiously and hold him out after he tried giving it a go two weeks ago against PSG and aggravated the injury once again, but with the final looming, if they win Tuesday, they may want one of their best players on the field, pushing for his return to play.

FEBRUARY 26 • ROTOWIRE

Comesaña double helps Villarreal beat Real Sociedad in La Liga

Santi Comesaña has scored in each half and Villarreal has beaten Real Sociedad 3-1 to move into 12th place in La Liga

FEBRUARY 23 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ander Barrenetxea - Forced off early Barrenetxea was forced off during the first half of Friday's clash with Villarreal, due to an apparent injury.

Impact Barrenetxea picked up an injury during just seven minutes in Friday's match. The winger was replaced by Jon Olasagasti, who could see some more chances in the starting XI in the future. Barrenetxea will have to undergo scans and get an updated outlook after Friday's match.

FEBRUARY 23 • ROTOWIRE

Kieran Tierney - Returns to bench Tierney (hamstring) is on the bench for Friday's match against Villarreal.

Impact Tierney is finally back with the team, ending his five-match absence due to a hamstring issue. The defender will now look to return to the starting XI in the club's next match, as he has started in all but three of the 13 contests he has been available for this season.

FEBRUARY 23 • ROTOWIRE

Sheraldo Becker - Given bench role Becker (hamstring) is on the bench for Friday's match against Villarreal.

Impact Becker is making his return to play Friday, ending a three-match streak on the sideline due to hamstring issues. The forward will most likely still earn some minutes off the bench, as he has not gone unused yet since joining the club in January. However, it will be interesting to see where he lines up next game, as so far in the three matches he has been available for with Sociedad, he has started once while getting a bench spot twice.

FEBRUARY 23 • ROTOWIRE

Kieran Tierney - Selected for Villarreal match Tierney (hamstring) was included in the squad list for Friday's match against Villarreal.

Impact Tierney looks to be making his return to play Friday, ending a five-match streak on the sidelines after recovering from a hamstring issue. The defender will now hope to get the start, as he was given the nod in six of his last eight appearances before going down injured. However, if the club decides to preserve him and take his return cautiously, expect Javi Galan to get the start at left-back once again, with Tierney on the bench.

FEBRUARY 22 • ROTOWIRE

Alvaro Odriozola - Won't face Villarreal Odriozola (knee) was not included in the squad list for Friday's match against Villarreal.

Impact Odriozola is one of the multiple players the club has remaining on the sidelines for another match, now missing his fourth straight contest due to his knee issues. However, the defender has mainly served in a rotational role this season, only starting four times and usually going unused on the bench, so his absence shouldn't be a major issue. Nonetheless, the club will still hope to add the depth back to their bench soon, as he is a decent player when called upon, so they will look for his return next week when they face Valencia on Saturday.

FEBRUARY 22 • ROTOWIRE

Aritz Elustondo - Remains sidelined Elustondo (toe) was not selected for Friday's match against Villarreal.

Impact Elustondo will continue as out for another contest, now missing the sixth straight match after not being named to the squad list. Luckily for the club, his absence won't take much of an effect, as he has mainly served in a rotational role this season, appearing only nine times in league play all season. He should still be considered ready to return at any time, as he will hope that comes next weekend against Sevilla on Saturday.

FEBRUARY 22 • ROTOWIRE

Sheraldo Becker - Option Friday Becker (hamstring) was included in the traveling squad for Friday's match against Villarreal.

Impact Becker looks to be an option once again following his three-match absence due to a hamstring issue. The forward will now hope to return to the starting XI, as he had started in the club's match against Girona before going down with the issue. However, there is a decent chance he resides on the bench after missing those three matches, as they will not want to risk a further setback, with the attacker only joining the club five contests and appearing to be in line for a decent amount of time on the field for the second half of the campaign.

FEBRUARY 22 • ROTOWIRE

Mikel Oyarzabal - Out once again Oyarzabal (thigh) will not be an option for Friday's match against Villarreal, as manager Imanol Alguacil told reporters, "We had new news on Monday, another MRI was done. It is in...

Impact Oyarzabal will now miss his fourth straight match with his current issues, having faced a further setback after an MRI came back positive for an injury in the Femoral Bicep. As the manager stated, it is still unsure on when the attacker will return, but they will hope for it to not take much longer, as he is one of their better players on the field when healthy, notching nine goal contributions in league play this season. He will now look to get back on the field by next weekend to face Sevilla on Saturday, with Arsen Zakharyan or Ander Barrenetxea most likely starting in his place Friday once again.

FEBRUARY 22 • ROTOWIRE

Inaki Ruperez - Signs extension Ruperez has agreed to an extension until the end of the 2026/27 season, the club announced Tuesday.

Impact Ruperez's time in Sociedad will not be ending any time soon, as the midfielder has now signed a three-year contract extension with the club. He has yet to play a single minute for the first team up to this point but appears to be a key piece of their future after the new contract. He hopes to earn some minutes in La Liga by the end of the campaign and will look to secure a decent role within the team by next season as he intends to get his professional career underway.

FEBRUARY 20 • ROTOWIRE

Imanol: "Gran partido del equipo y la recompensa ha llegado al final"

FEBRUARY 19 • YOUTUBE

Javi Galan - Nine crosses in win Galan registered nine crosses (four accurate) and two chances created in Sunday's 2-1 victory versus Mallorca.

Impact Galan had a productive outing Sunday as he tied a season high with nine crosses and set a new season high with four accurate crosses. He also created multiple chances for the third time this season as he played the full 90 minutes for the fourth consecutive time in La Liga play since returning from injury.

FEBRUARY 19 • ROTOWIRE

Brais Mendez - Four shots in Sunday's win Mendez recorded four shots (zero on goal), four crosses (one accurate) and one chance created in Sunday's 2-1 victory over Mallorca.

Impact Mendez tied a season high with four shots Sunday but failed to put a single one on target. He also recorded four crosses for the 12th time in the league this season, created one chance and won one tackle before being subbed off in the 73rd minute for Benat Turrientes.

FEBRUARY 19 • ROTOWIRE

Igor Zubeldia - Assists in Sunday's win Zubeldia assisted once to go with zero corners and one chance created in Sunday's 2-1 victory over Mallorca. In addition, he was given a yellow card in the 61st minute.

Impact Zubeldia assisted Takefusa Kubo's goal in the 38th minute Sunday, his second assist of the season and his first since Dec. 2. It came on the only chance he created in the match and he added one tackle and two clearances before being subbed off in the 64th minute for Jon Pacheco. He also picked up his ninth league booking of the season, which puts him one away from another suspension.

FEBRUARY 19 • ROTOWIRE

Jon Pacheco - Assists late winner Sunday Pacheco assisted once to go with one cross (one accurate) and three chances created in Sunday's 2-1 win over Mallorca. In addition, he was given a yellow card in the 77th minute.

Impact Pacheco recorded his first goal contribution of the season Sunday as his cross in the 93rd minute was finished by Mikel Merino to take the 2-1 lead. It was one of the three chances he created in the match, his first three of the season. He also picked up a yellow card for a bad foul, his fourth of the season which puts him one away from a suspension.

FEBRUARY 19 • ROTOWIRE

Takefusa Kubo - Scores versus former club Kubo scored one goal to go with two shots (one on goal), five crosses (one accurate) and three corners in Sunday's 2-1 victory against Mallorca.

Impact Kubo scored in the 38th minute Sunday, set up by Igor Zubeldia, to tie the match at 1-1. It marked his seventh league goal of the season and his first since Dec. 9. He also created multiple chances for the eighth time in his last nine starts and recorded five crosses for the ninth consecutive match.

FEBRUARY 19 • ROTOWIRE

Mikel Merino - Scores late winner Sunday Merino scored one goal to go with three shots (one on goal), two crosses (zero accurate) and three chances created in Sunday's 2-1 win over Mallorca. In addition, he was given a ye...

Impact Merino scored the match-winning goal in the 93rd minute Sunday, a header assisted by Jon Pacheco which took the 2-1 lead. It marked his third goal of the season and his first since Dec. 9. He also tied season highs with three chances created, two crosses and three shots. He picked up his seventh yellow card in the league as well, his third booking in his last five starts.

FEBRUARY 19 • ROTOWIRE

Alejandro Remiro - Concedes once in dramatic win Remiro registered no saves and allowed one goal in Sunday's 2-1 win versus Mallorca.

Impact Remiro only faced one shot on target Sunday as he was beat from outside the box by Antonio Sanchez in the fourth minute. He has now conceded at least once in three consecutive matches after not conceding once in his eight matches prior. He faces a more difficult matchup Friday versus Villarreal, a side which has scored 35 goals in 25 league matches this season.

FEBRUARY 19 • ROTOWIRE

UNIQUE Moments In Football 🥹 #laligaeasports #emotional

FEBRUARY 18 • YOUTUBE

BARRENETXEA ⚡#skills #realsociedad

FEBRUARY 18 • YOUTUBE

Takefusa Kubo - Delivers seven crosses Kubo attempted seven crosses (three accurate) and took five corners in Wednesday's 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Impact Kubo was making his second consecutive start after missing four games due to his participation in the Asian Cup. The winger ranked first among his teammates for crosses and his exploits resulted in three chances created. He is still looking for his first Champions League goal.

FEBRUARY 16 • ROTOWIRE

Mikel Merino - Hits bar Merino had three shots off target in Wednesday's 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Impact Merino came within a whisker of opening the scoring, seeing a powerful long-range effort hit the bar. The midfielder has a goal and an assist in the Champions League and three goals in all competitions this season.

FEBRUARY 16 • ROTOWIRE

Alejandro Remiro - Concedes twice Remiro made four saves and conceded twice in Wednesday's 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Impact Remiro could have possibly done better with the second he conceded, though he made two brilliant saves to limit Kylian Mbappe to a single goal. The keeper has kept three clean sheets in his last five, conceding three goals. He next faces 16th-placed Mallorca on Sunday.

FEBRUARY 16 • ROTOWIRE

Luis Enrique wants a team ethos at PSG but individuals were key against Real Sociedad Kylian Mbappe and Bradley Barcola ensured PSG enjoyed an unusually straightforward night in the Champions League round of 16

FEBRUARY 15 • THEATHLETIC.COM

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Comesaña double helps Villarreal beat Real Sociedad in La Liga