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Sociedad have not finished higher than fourth in La Liga since being promoted back to the top-fight as winners of the 2010 Segunda Division but they currently sit third after an impressive start to the campaign. La Real as they are known are nine points behind second-placed Real Madrid and 11 adrift of leaders Barcelona but Atletico Madrid and Real Betis both trail on goal difference in a scramble for the European positions.

Sociedad have not qualified for the Champions League since finishing fourth back in 2012-13 but a particularly steely defence has them on course to change that under 51-year-old Spanish boss Imanol Alguacil who worked under David Moyes at the club when Moyes was in charge in 2014-15. Former Sociedad right-back and general club stalwart Alguacil has frequently managed Sociedad's reserves and the 51-year-old is now in his second spell in charge of the first team.

The current spell began in December 2018 following the dismissal of Asier Garitano and Alguacil steered the side to their first trophy since 1987 as they won the delayed 2020 Copa Del Rey in April 2021. A second-half penalty netted by Mikel Oyarzabal sealed a 1-0 victory against Athletic Bilbao and ended a 34-year trophy drought for a side who won the league in both 1981 and 1982.

Sociedad have also bagged three Copa del Reys in 1909, 1987 and most recently 2020 and The White and Blues are looking in good nick after 14 games of the current campaign. Alguacil's side have conceded just 17 goals in those 14 games, offsetting the fact that they have netted just 19 times.

Twenty-five-year-old Spanish attacking midfielder Brais Mendez tops the Sociedad goal-scoring charts on six but his form was still not enough to earn a place in Luis Enrique’s Spain World Cup squad. Mendez, capped four times for Spain, has scored two more goals this season than Norwegian international forward Alexander Sorloth, formerly of Crystal Palace and on loan at Sociedad from RB Leipzig.

The towering Sorloth, who is six-foot-our, would have been a certainty for a World Cup place had Norway qualified for Qatar but he was in good company alongside international team mate and regular strike partner Erling Haaland in missing out. Sorloth, who is 27, has 45 caps and 15 goals to his name with Norway.

Sociedad’s 21-year-old Japanese international Takefusa Kubo – who did make his country’s World Cup squad – has two goals to his name this season but Manchester City legend David Silva is the undoubted main star name in the squad and still going strong at 36 years old.

Only Kubo, Mendez and the Spanish capped duo of 26-year-old midfielder Mikel Merino and 23-year-old holding-midfielder Martin Zubimendi plus ever-present keeper Alex Remiro have played more minutes this season than Silva who left City for Real Sociedad in the summer of 2020.

The creative midfielder's departure came after an immense spell at the Manchester club which featured 436 appearances between 2010 and 2020 as he helped City to four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five EFL Cups and two Community Shields. The attacking midfielder earned 125 caps for Spain and netted 35 times.

Silva suffered an injury to his right quadricep in October's La Liga clash against Real Valladolid but the former World Cup and dual Euros winner returned to start the 2-1 victory at Sevilla the following month. New forward recruit Umar Sadiq, capped for Nigeria, is another international for Sociedad who warmed up for Friday night's clash at Leeds with a 1-1 draw at home to Rayo Vallecano last weekend.

Sociedad are also through to this season's Europa League round of 16 having topped their group at the expense of Manchester United who had to settle for the runners up berth on goal difference

A Mendez penalty gave Sociedad a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford back in September but the Red Devils gained some sort of revenge by winning by the same score at Sociedad Anoeta Stadium at the start of November. But Sociedad had done enough to win the group as part of a season which has already featured an amazing run of eight-straight wins in league and Europa League through September and October.

The Spanish side have only scored more than two goals in a league game once this season via the 5-3 triumph at Girona at the start of October in which Sorloth bagged a brace. But Sociedad generally concede even less and can be expected to arrive at Elland Road in good shape given that they are in competitive action just five days later through Wednesday night's Copa del Rey clash at fifth tier side Coria.