Real Sociedad vs Levante Prediction: Matarazzo's High Press to Secure Narrow Victory

Real Sociedad host Levante at the Reale Arena on 25 October 2026 and three points would push them further clear in fifth, where they sit on 16 points from nine games. Levante are eleventh on 10 points and still without an away win all season, five road games returning one draw and four defeats.

Pellegrino Matarazzo took charge of Real Sociedad on 21 December 2025, replacing Sergio Francisco, while Luís Castro was appointed by Levante the day before to replace Julián Calero and the two haven't met as managers before.

Real Sociedad are unbeaten in their last five across all competitions with four wins and one draw, the scorelines bearing that out: 5-2 at Málaga on 18 October, then a 6-0 Europa League dismantling of Lillestrøm four days later. Levante come in having won two of their last five, ending a four-game winless run with that 3-1 home victory against Athletic on 21 October.

Sociedad have several absences to manage: Jon Aramburu and Álvaro Odriozola are both out with cruciate ligament injuries, Yangel Herrera is a calf doubt and Luken Beitia is questionable with an ankle problem. The absences in wide areas and central midfield are exactly where Matarazzo's system makes its heaviest demands.

Levante travel without Enzo Bardeli, who has a hamstring injury, while Adrián de la Fuente is doubtful due to ongoing fitness issues. Bardeli's absence hurts their ability to build from deep, where their central midfield normally does its best work.

Matarazzo has Sociedad running a high press that shifts between a 4-4-2 and a 4-2-3-1 depending on the phase of play, built around overlapping full backs and fast switches to open up half spaces. Takefusa Kubo and Ander Barrenetxea do most of the damage wide before feeding Mikel Oyarzabal or Orri Óskarsson in the box and Oyarzabal's goal and assist numbers make him the man Levante most need to contain.

Castro's Levante prefer compact defensive blocks and counter attacking, using a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 that gives Roger Brugui licence to drift between the lines. Brugui scored twice against Athletic Club last week and Levante will need to bring Petar Ratkov and Iván Romero into the game if Sociedad's press shuts down the midfield supply line. Aïssa Mandi will need to be fit and authoritative at the back when transitions turn scrappy.

Kubo against Levante's left sided defender is the duel worth watching, his ability to receive on the half turn and accelerate into space capable of exposing a backline that has already conceded 17 goals in nine league games. Brugui's off ball movement poses a different problem for Sociedad's centre backs whenever the home side push forward and if Herrera can't play, Sociedad lose their main physical screen in midfield, opening a counter attacking lane through the centre.

Recent meetings have gone Sociedad's way, with a 2-0 win in April 2026 following a 1-1 draw the previous December. From set pieces, Sociedad's wide delivery tends to find Oyarzabal or Óskarsson, while Levante use Mandi or Brugui as their flick on options. Sociedad played 90 minutes of Europa League football on Wednesday, three days before this, though it's hard to argue a team is fatigued after winning 6-0.

Real Sociedad 2-1 Levante. Sociedad's press, their home record and the quality of Oyarzabal and Kubo all point to a home win, though Brugui gives Levante a way in behind if Sociedad's full backs push too high and with both midfields short of bodies, a single goal is likely to separate them.