Real Sociedad returns to Anoeta on Wednesday to face Getafe in Liga play, three days after the club’s Copa del Rey triumph in Sevilla and two days after about 100,000 people joined the celebrations in Donostia. The match comes with the team already assured of a place in the Europa League, but still chasing the fifth place that could lead to the Champions League.
Pellegrino Matarazzo has changed the face of the group since December, and the coach now wants that shift to show again in the league. After the cup final at La Cartuja, he said, “esto es solo el comienzo,” a line that fits the mood around a side trying to turn a trophy into a stronger finish.
The challenge is physical as much as emotional. Mikel Oyarzabal, Ander Barrenetxea, Duje Caleta-Car and Jon Aramburu all finished the final with knocks, while Igor Zubeldia, Álvaro Odriozola and Marcos Rupérez remain sidelined with injuries. To help the squad recover, the training session scheduled for Sunday was canceled so the players could rest before Getafe’s visit.
That leaves Matarazzo balancing recovery with urgency. Real Sociedad has already secured European football, but the league table still offers something bigger, and the coach has made clear that the cup success is not meant to be the end point. Getafe, led by José Bordalás, arrives as the next test for a team that has spent the past week moving from celebration to recalibration.
The question now is whether Real Sociedad can carry the energy of Donostia and the authority of La Cartuja into the league without letting fatigue slow it down. If it can, Wednesday could become less about recovery from the final and more about proving the club’s best stretch this season is still expanding.
