Real Sociedad’s Strong Start to the New Year: A Decade of Success

Real Sociedad has consistently excelled at the start of the year, evidenced by their record over the past decade, which includes four victories, four draws, and only two defeats. They have maintained an unbeaten streak in their first matches of the year for five consecutive seasons. This positive statistic will be crucial to remember as they prepare to host the challenging Atlético de Madrid this Sunday.

This successful run began on January 3, 2016, when they drew 2-2 with Rayo Vallecano. The following year, they secured a 3-1 victory against Villarreal in the Copa del Rey’s round of 16, despite facing a 0-4 defeat against Sevilla in LaLiga. A year later, on January 7, 2018, they had a disappointing start with a 0-1 loss to Leganés.

On January 6, 2019, the team celebrated the Three Kings’ Day in style by defeating Real Madrid 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu, marking the beginning of Imanol Alguacil’s successful second tenure as coach, although some fans now only recall the recent struggles during the last months.

In 2020, however, the team faced a setback, losing 1-2 to Villarreal on January 5. The next year, they drew 1-1 with Osasuna on January 3 at Anoeta, followed by a similar result against Deportivo Alavés on January 2.

Entering 2023, Real Sociedad began the year with a Copa del Rey match, winning 1-0 against UD Logroñés on January 4, before achieving a 2-0 LaLiga victory against Almería on January 8. In 2024, they once again faced Deportivo Alavés, ending in a 1-1 draw, this time at home in San Sebastián, followed by a 1-0 win against Villarreal on January 13, eight days after a 2-0 victory over Ponferrada in the Copa del Rey.

In summary, over the last decade, Real Sociedad has won four of their first matches of the year, drawn four, and only lost twice, extending their unbeaten streak to five. This positive trend presents an excellent opportunity for them to build on their success against Atlético de Madrid this Sunday, as avoiding defeat in Pellegrino Matarazzo’s debut would provide a significant boost to team morale.