La Liga Preview: Can Real Sociedad End Real Madrid's Run?

Barcelona vs. Mallorca

Barcelona had plenty of chances to win against Sevilla last weekend, but had to settle for a point. The draw provided Real Madrid with the opportunity to take a slender one-point lead over the Catalan giants, which they did.

Barcelona's 1-0 win over Granada in midweek was not enough to close the gap, as Real Madrid managed a convincing 3-0 win over Villarreal.

Even though Levante lead the table, one can realistically say that Real Madrid will be the main challengers to Barcelona for the title. In this situation, Barcelona have the opportunity to put pressure on Real Madrid, who play after they do.

Pep Guardiola could not have asked for a much better opponent than Mallorca—a team struggling near the foot of the table. Just two points separate Mallorca from going into the drop zone, and their form in recent weeks does not suggest any signs of recovery this weekend.

Mallorca's hopes may rest on the fact that Barcelona have recently played several two-game weeks. That won't change this week, either, when the Catalan club must contend a Champions League tie on Tuesday with Viktoria Plzen.

A repeat of the 1-1 draw that Mallorca achieved on their last visit to the Camp Nou would be more than sufficient for the visitors.

Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid

After a few struggles, which raised some early season questions regarding manager José Mourinho, Real Madrid have managed to set the pace in the Spanish League this season.

Los Blancos have been scoring goals for fun in recent weeks, with Cristiano Ronaldo behind much of the goal-scoring prowess of Real Madrid.

Since their 0-0 draw with Racing Santander, Real Madrid have managed a quite astonishing five-game win streak, in which they have scored 21 goals. Even more impressive is the fact that they have conceded only three goals in the process.

Frankly, if form is anything to go by, Real Sociedad have a mountain to climb against Real Madrid this weekend. Since their 1-0 win over Granada, Sociedad have lost all but one match. As a result, they are presently perilously close to the relegation zone, with the team set to entertain teams like Espanyol and Malaga in the coming weeks.

New manager Philippe Montanier's job will be made even more difficult when Real Madrid visit the Estadio Municipal de Anoeta. History also seems to be in Real Madrid's favour, with the Spanish giants having won four of their last five visits.

The only hope for Real Sociedad may rest in the fact that Real Madrid have only dropped points on away trips this season.

Jann - Footybay.Com