Real Madrid At Real Sociedad: 3 Key Battles To Watch On Sunday

Real Madrid CM Toni Kroos vs. Real Sociedad CM Mikel Merino

The 30-year-old Toni Kroos is still the best midfielder in La Liga until proven otherwise. Last season, the Real Madrid star completed a whopping 93.5 percent of his passes, per WhoScored.com, to reestablish himself as the league’s crispest passer just one season after looking washed.

Kroos will need to control the midfield against a Real Sociedad team that features Mikel Merino, who was arguably just as good as Kroos in 2019-2020. And in terms of importance to his team, Merino was difficult to top among midfielders in La Liga. La Real simply would not have been a Champions League qualifying candidate without Merino in the lineup; his presence to Imanol Alguacil’s side was even more important than Martin Odegaard’s.

Merino is intelligent defensively, a quality passer, and can push up to join the attack and score if needed. He will test Kroos’ ability to pick out passes and control the game, and it will be exciting for fans to see which player can organize his side and win the midfield battle.

As the most recent matchup between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad at the Anoeta Stadium showed, there will be swings in momentum based on who gains the upper hand in the middle of the pitch.