A key battle in the race for spots in the top six of the La Liga table will take place on Sunday, as Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad square off at San Mames.

The visitors currently sit sixth with a four-point lead over their hosts, who are just two places behind in a tight top half.

Match preview

After eventually slumping to a 10th-placed finish in La Liga last term, Athletic Bilbao set their sights on a stronger campaign this time around, and they currently find themselves in eighth spot with 34 points from their 24 outings.

Marcelino's men enjoyed a climb thanks to an impressive run of league form after the turn of the year, earning 10 points from their opening four games of 2022.

After an away win over Osasuna and a slightly disappointing draw with Alaves, Los Leones picked up narrow 1-0 and 2-1 victories over Rayo Vallecano and Espanyol respectively, with Oihan Sancet and Inigo Martinez completing a turnaround in the latter.

Marcelino's men were unable to stretch their run any further last time out, though, despite drawing level against Mallorca through Raul Garcia and Alex Berenguer after trailing 2-0, as a late Unai Simon own goal eventually saw them leave empty-handed.

While that put their progress on hold, Athletic do remain just four points off the top six and five points behind Barcelona in fourth spot, meaning continental qualification is certainly still a realistic aim, especially if they can pick up a result against their sixth-placed rivals on Sunday.

Real Sociedad arrive looking to extend a five-game unbeaten run in Spain's top flight to strengthen their position in the top six, having earned nine points from those outings.

Imanol Alguacil's side initially dropped out of the top four due to a run of four straight defeats, but they arrested the slump by drawing with Alaves before earning a hard-fought 1-0 win over Celta Vigo.

Following stalemates with Getafe and Valencia, La Real made a return to winning ways last weekend, as Mikel Oyarzabal and Rafinha netted goals in a 2-0 defeat of Granada.

In a packed schedule, Alguacil's men were in continental action on Thursday, and, after an impressive 2-2 draw away at RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie, they will turn their attention back to the domestic front ahead of next week's second leg in the Basque Country.

With the top four within reach, Real Sociedad will aim to post an 11th league win of the campaign to both strengthen their claim for Champions League qualification and put more distance between themselves and their rivals in pursuit of the top six.

Team News

Athletic Bilbao will remain without Nico Williams and Ander Capa through injuries, while Oier Zarraga is suspended for this weekend's clash.

However, key defender Inigo Martinez will return from a ban of his own, and the Spanish international should come straight back into the defensive line.

Key men Alex Berenguer and Iker Muniain should again operate on the wings with Marcelino likely to deploy the established duo of Inaki Williams and Raul Garcia at the top end of the pitch.

Real Sociedad also have several concerns to deal with, as Adnan Januzaj, Ander Barrenetxea and Nacho Monreal are ruled out while Carlos Fernandez remains a doubt.

In the absence of Barrentxea and Januzaj, Portu will likely complete a front three with the potent duo of Alexander Isak and Mikel Oyarzabal, with the latter having hit eight league goals from the wing so far this term.

Further back, Mikel Merino, David Silva and Martin Zubimendi form an accomplished midfield unit, with Silva set to support the attacking line.

Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Simon; De Marcos, Alvarez, Martinez, Berchiche; Berenguer, Vencedor, D Garcia, Muniain; Williams, R Garcia

Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Gorosabel, Elustondo, Normand, Munoz; Merino, Silva, Zubimendi; Oyarzabal, Isak, Portu

We say: Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Real Sociedad

With two rivals and two of the league's strongest defences squaring off in a crucial battle, we see this being a cagey affair and predict a low-scoring draw as the most likely outcome.

Both have the ability to neutralise one another's attacking threats with organised structures, and we cannot quite pick a winner for this edition of the Basque Derby as a result.

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