Alaves vs Real Sociedad prediction 04.02.2026 | Copa del Rey

Last season, Alaves barely secured survival with a good stint in the final few games. This season, they had ups and downs, spending some time in the top eight and also in the relegation zone. At the moment, after two wins in a row, the "Babazorros" are in 10th place with 25 points. Yet, that 10th place seems a lot better than it actually is since they are only four points away from dropping down into the danger zone. But, we have to be real and say that this Alaves team definitely deserves to be around the middle of the table, at least judging by their recent performances. 

After a 2:1 win over Espanyol, coach Eduardo Coudet spoke to the media. He was satisfied with the win and the way his team played, noting that they hadn't won in Barcelona since 2002! The coach also spoke about the upcoming game against Real Sociedad and hinted he might rotate the squad a bit due to a challenging schedule.

Real Sociedad were a top-six team from 2019 to 2024 but had a terrible previous season, finishing 11th. This year, they continued to struggle and spent most of their time in the lower half of the league table. However, after a coaching change, the team started playing well and went on a seven-game unbeaten run. During that time, they beat Barcelona and drew against Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid. So, a great improvement since the arrival of Pellegrino Matarazzo, and therefore it is no surprise that he has been named the best La Liga coach in January. 

After a 1:1 draw with Athletic Bilbao, coach Pellegrino Matarazzo spoke to the media. He said they deserved to win, saying the victory was up for grabs until around the 80th minute, when they received a red card. But in general, the coach was satisfied with the performance and said they were competitive even with a player less.