Real Sociedad to face Europa League champion Aston Villa in friendly tonight

Published Jul 28, 05:42 AM UTC

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Real Sociedad will play their second pre-season friendly match in England tonight at 8:30 PM against Aston Villa, managed by former Real Sociedad player Unai Emery. Aston Villa recently won the Europa League, a competition many Real Sociedad fans dream of winning. Coach Pellegrino Matarazzo is expected to rotate his squad, with goalkeeper Álex Remiro likely to start after not playing in the previous friendly against Wolverhampton. Key players Take Kubo and Luka Sucic are unlikely to feature due to limited training sessions. The match serves as preparation for the upcoming LaLiga season, with Matarazzo still evaluating his squad composition, mixing first-team and Sanse (reserve) players. Real Sociedad will also face Toulouse and Cologne in subsequent friendlies.

Source report

Updated: 28/07/2026 - 07:36 CEST

By: Óscar Badallo

Real Sociedad will play tonight at 8:30 PM their second friendly match of their training camp in England, facing Unai Emery's Aston Villa — a team the txuriurdin would like to emulate, having just won the Europa League.

Pellegrino Matarazzo's side, still apparently without World Cup players despite taking Take Kubo and Luka Sucic on the plane, will aim for his players to continue accumulating minutes. Special attention will be given to those whose future at the club is not secured.

After not playing on Saturday against Wolverhampton, Álex Remiro is expected to start tonight.

Remiro Set for Minutes

Remiro did not play any minutes on Saturday against Wolves, a match where Pellegrino Matarazzo started Unai Marrero and brought on second-team goalkeeper Aitor Fraga near the end. Everything indicates that this time he will be in the lineup.

Regarding outfield players, it is normal that Kubo and Sucic, with few training sessions under their belts, will not yet feature. Kazunari Kita did play, the only Sanse player who did not participate. Jon Martín, Zubeldia, Beitia, and Pacheco were the starting center-backs, so it remains to be seen if Matarazzo repeats that quartet or if the Japanese player comes in for one of his positional teammates.

Matarazzo Aims to Continue Distributing Minutes

Regarding the composition of the starting lineup, it remains to be seen whether the New Jersey-born coach will still make a mix of Real and Sanse players, fielding a different eleven in each half, or if he will begin to make clear who he will count on when LaLiga starts. This is a step he will need to take soon — possibly this week, today and on Friday against Toulouse, or already in Cologne at the beginning of August.

Real Sociedad will face a team led by their former player Unai Emery, which finished in a strong fourth position in the Premier League and is the current champion of the Europa League — a competition many txuriurdin fans dream of winning, perhaps as soon as the 2026-27 season.

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Source

LALIGA EA Sports // marcaWestern

Original headline: La Real se mide al equipo que sueña ser

Original language: ES

Part of this Story

Real Sociedad Faces Europa League Champion Aston Villa in Pre-Season Friendly

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