Real Sociedad begin their season tonight against Betis at La Cartuja at 21:00, and the first league night already asks more questions than it answers. Matarazzo is expected to trust a familiar XI, with Remiro; Aramburu, Martín, Zubeldia and Gómez; Yangel, Soler, Sucic; Kubo, Barrenetxea and Óskarsson, while Oyarzabal is set to start on the bench.
That is the team sheet for a club that finished 10th after rallying under Matarazzo and now opens a campaign that Diario Vasco says could stretch to at least 48 games and as many as 63. The spotlight is there because the opener comes after a quiet window, a failed medical deal and a summer in which Real Sociedad have yet to add a new face to the squad.
The lack of movement does not mean the squad is settled. Real Sociedad are still said to need two or three tweaks, with a centre-back wanted, possible upgrades at defensive midfield and right-back, and another forward not ruled out before the window closes. Guedes is nearing the end of a little explained operation, which keeps the front line in motion even before the season has properly started.
That is why the strongest friction in this opener is so easy to spot: Real Sociedad can field a competitive XI without delay, yet the squad is still not quite complete. Goti is set to stay, Ochieng carries a squad number and will remain if no forward arrives before 1 September, and only one exit looks certain, with Karrikaburu moving toward Burgos subject to salary.
Betis bring their own edge to the night. They finished fifth last season and now play Champions League football, but they are missing Ez Abde and Lo Celso and Pellegrini does not yet have Troy Parrot, signed from AZ Alkmaar for about 17 million euros. That leaves both sides short of full strength, but Real Sociedad arrive with the sharper immediate task: start cleanly, avoid another season of drift, and see whether the window finally moves before the deadline on 1 September.
