Football News

Real Madrid continue their confirmation charge for the La Liga title as they visit Real Sociedad on Friday, afforded an early match on the weekend to give them time to prepare for next week's European challenge.

With their Champions League lives still intact in the semifinals, Los Blancos have been afforded special treatment from La Liga, given a Friday league kickoff to secure extra rest before their UCL first leg the coming week.

Following their come-from-behind El Clasico win last time out, Madrid sit 11 points clear at the top of the table with eight games remaining, meaning they cannot quite confirm the crown just yet, but there's a feeling of inevitability to the race.

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Once considered genuine contenders for a top-four place in the league, Real Sociedad dropped out of the running thanks to a stretch of just three wins from the start of December to the end of February, but they have since recovered and are unbeaten in their last five. They remain in the hunt for a European spot, sitting sixth, but they are seven points adrift of Athletic Club in fifth and 10 back of Atletico Madrid in fourth.

USA: Click here to see the latest odds for Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad and bet La Liga matches

It's clear the betting market expects Real Sociedad to compete hard in this match, as they have nearly identical moneyline odds coming into the weekend game. They are on a mini run in league play and should push Madrid for a result, but the truth is the visitors still possess the better side.

Likely, the market expects Carlo Ancelotti to rest a number of key players with a European semifinal on the horizon, with the under heavily weighted, an increasingly rare occurrence in

El Clasico