Real Sociedad 1-2 Hercules

Real Sociedad's hopes of promotion were badly damaged today after losing 2-1 at home to make it back to back defeats now and 1 point from a possible 9. The game got off to the worst possible start when Ruben Navarro gave Hercules the lead after only 58 seconds. He doubled the advantage on 63 minutes and a goal from Xabi Prieto 10 minutes from the end wasn't enough to salvage anything. Not doing a match report this week as i'm disgusted at the result and the highlights below tell the painful story!

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Carlos Martinez, Ansotegi, Mikel González Castillo, Xabi Prieto, Aranburu, Markel (Sergio, min.68), Moha (Marcos, min.68), Agirretxe (Necati, min.68) and Abreu.

Hercules CF: Calatayud, Exposito, Cesar, Sergio, Dani Bautista, Fernando Sales (Sendoa, min.75), Farina, Abel Aguilar, Tuni, Ruben Navarro (Ruben, min.77) and Tote.

Real Sociedad vs Hercules Team News

The big team news for this afternoons crucial match at home to Hercules is the return to the squad of Moroccan midfielder Moha. Mikel Labaka will miss out after getting sent off last week in the defeat to Murcia and Elustundo is still continuing to improve in training but is still well short of match fitness.

Squad for Hercules match -

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Castillo, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Carlos Martínez.

- Midfielders: Marcos, Aranburu, Markel, Rivas, Sergio Estrada, Moha, Xabi Prieto.

- Forwards: Necati, Abreu, Agirretxe.

Iñigo Diaz de Cerio In Contract Talks

Injured striker Iñigo Diaz de Cerio spoke to the press today and revealed he is in negotiations with the club about a new contract but warned "I have 20 years, I am 25 and I have to take a key decision in my career". With the clubs future still in the balance its obviously something the player has to take into consideration and admitted there are other offers for him but at the moment they are on the back burner. He also said he wants to play at the highest level possible so time will tell if his future is at Real Sociedad or not.

Sebastián Abreu also spoke to the press today and was in a highly positive mood about the future and says the players are also positive because there will be opportunities to climb the table in the future, starting against Hercules on Sunday at the Anoeta. Lets hope his optimism rubs off on his team-mates because he has has demonstrated so far in his short time at the club that he holds a huge presence in the squad and all his colleagues look up to him.

Real Murcia 2-0 Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad lost in very cruel fashion as they lost two goals in the final minutes of the game after goals from Mejia (87) and Sikora (90)! Both teams went down to ten men on 78 minutes as Labaka was sent off for Real Sociedad and Ochoa was red carded for Murcia.

The first half started with both teams looking hungry for a win and Murcia were first to threaten when Capdevila swung in a perfect cross frome the byeline which Despotovic narrowly missed when he probably should have done better. Shortly after Xabi Prieto nearly scored directly from a free-kick but his cross came back of the cross-bar. Necati had a great chance when put through on the keeper but his control let him down - clearly a striker lacking in confidence. Despotovic was then denied by Bravo after great play with Capdevila. With the first half coming to an end Aranburu crashed an effort onto the crossbar.

The second half was a different affair with untidy mistakes creeping into play from both teams and it was the very impressive Serbian striker Despotovic who had the first real chance of the second half in the 67th minute when he robbed a defender before crashing in a shot that Bravo did brilliantly to save from close range. Labaka was then dismissed on 79 minutes for a second yellow card then barely a minute had passed before Ochoa was sent off for his second yellow of the game. When it looked like the game was going to end in a goaless draw Murcia scored out of the blue. The ball was cut back to Mejia who fired the ball passed a helpless Bravo. To rub salt in the wounds Murcia pounced again in the dying seconds when they hit Real Sociedad on the counter attack and the ball was swung into the Polish striker Sikora who controlled the ball on his chest and tucked the ball passed Bravo. With the team now down to 8th in the league the next game at home to Hercules is a must win game now if they are to stay in the hunt for promotion.

Real Murcia: Elía, De Coz, Mejia, Ochoa, Pena, Movilla, Marcinho (Bruno, 56 mins), Nunez (Sikora, 77 mins), De Lucas (Aquino, 34 mins), Capdevila and Despotovic.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Labaka, Castillo, Rivas (Sergio, 63 mins) Markel, Aranburu, Prieto, Necati (Abreu, 56 mins) and Marcos (Agirretxe, 72 mins).

Murcia vs Real Sociedad Team News

The big news from the Real Sociedad camp is that defender Mikel González and midfielder Markel are back in the squad to face Murcia after missing last weeks game. Moha is suspended so will miss out and despite returning to training Elustundo isn't ready for first team action and will continue to build up his ankle. Sebastian Abreu and Claudio Bravo are available and fit after coming through international duty in midweek unscathed and will both fly directly to Murcia and train alone until their team-mates arrive. If Real Sociedad can win on Saturday they will become the first team this season to win three away matches in a row.

Squad for Murcia game -

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Castillo, Labaka, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Carlos Martínez.

- Midfielders: Marcos, Aranburu, Markel, Rivas, Sergio Estrada, Xabi Prieto.

- Forwards: Necati, Abreu, Agirretxe.

Real Sociedad 1-1 Real Zaragoza

Real Sociedad looked to be on course to pick up a vital three points after Abreu had scored in the first half but a late goal from Ewerthon meant the points were shared.

The first half was a tight affair with Abreu going close with a header from a corner that the Zaragoza did well to save. Zaragoza also had their chances but Bravo was equal to them. On 39 minutes the home side increased the pressure and a headed clearance from a free-kick was nodded back into the danger area by Marcos and Abreu beat the offside trap and brought the ball down with ease before slotting past the keeper.

The second half was also very tight with Real Sociedad keen not to give anything away but also seeking the killer second goal. With fifteen minutes to go the away side threw on another forward to get the equilaser and with two minutes to go a ball was played through to Braulio but Bravo pushed the ball away before hitting the defender and the referee unbelievably gave a penalty when it was clearly a well timed challenge. This led to very angry scenes in the stands and on the pitch and Ewerthon kept his cool to blast the penalty home. Moha was red carded for his protests and on the final whistle the referee had to be protected as he left the pitch.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Carlos Martinez, Ansotegi, Labaka, Castillo, Rivas, Gerardo (Sergio, 85 mins), Aranburu, Prieto, Abreu (Agirretxe, 68 mins) and Marcos (Moha, 78 mins.

Real Zaragoza: Lopez Vallejo, Chus Herrero (Herrera, 56 mins), Pulido, Goni, Paredes (Caffa, 69 mins), Songo'o (Braulio, 78 mins), Zapater, Generelo, Jorge Lopez, Arizmendi and Ewerthon.

Sebastián Abreu Enjoying His Football

Sebastián Abreu spoke to the press today and revealed he is loving his football at the moment and is looking forward to the massive game on Saturday against promotion rivals Real Zaragoza. He said a victory over Zaragoza would make a significant impact on the table and would make then sit in a much better position. He said the fact that they were just about to go into a phase where they will play a series of games against the high flying teams means the team has great focus and determination in what they want to achieve.

Coach Lillo also gave his weekly press conference today and the main focus of discussion was the importance goal difference might make at the end of the season for promotion and stressed how important it was for the team to fight to the end of matches - "It will be like winning a match by 3-0 or 3-1. That goal may cost the promotion".

Liverpool FC Lined Up For Centenary Celebrations

Its being muted in Spain that Real Sociedad could kick of the centenary celebrations in the summer with a pre-season friendly against Liverpool FC in August. It would mark the return of fans hero Xabi Alonso who was a massive success at the club and the Premiership superstars would surely draw a massive crowd. The possibility of such a match taking place must be very real as both clubs have enjoyed close relations over the years. It would be an even bigger occasion if the club could also celebrate by winning promotion to Liga BBVA.