As La Liga enters matchday No. 35, Barcelona faces Real Sociedad in a pivotal showdown. With both teams eyeing crucial points, the stage is set for an intriguing battle at the Camp Nou.
Match Preview
Real Sociedad will visit Barcelona after a 2-0 victory over Las Palmas, ending a three-match winless run for La Royal.
Sociedad are competing for fifth place, trailing Athletic Club by seven points.
Barcelona earned 12 points from their last six matches, staying six points ahead of Atletico Madrid in the race for third place.
While guaranteed Champions League football, Barcelona aims for third place.
In the reverse fixture, Barcelona won 1-0 at Anoeta, with Ronald Araujo scoring in second-half stoppage time.
Sociedad won just one of their last six matches against Barcelona. Last season, they won 2-1 in Barcelona.
Barcelona’s defense struggled lately, conceding at least 2.0 goals in their last three league matches, all finishing with over 3.5 goals.
Despite not scoring much, Sociedad earned 11 points in their last six matches.
While Barcelona lost two of their last three matches, they outscored opponents 13-9 in their last six games.
Robert Lewandowski leads Barcelona with 17 La Liga goals, with no other player scoring more than seven goals.
Although Lewandowski is their only double-digit scorer, Barcelona scored 70 times, the third-most in La Liga.
Defensively, Sociedad is the league’s third-best, conceding just 35 goals, while Barcelona allowed 43.
Mikel Oyarzabal leads Sociedad with nine goals, supported by Takefusa Kubo with seven goals. Sociedad scored a total of 48 goals.
Frenkie de Jong is out for the season with an ankle injury.
Five Sociedad players are set to miss, including Martín Zubimendi, Hamari Traore, Kieran Tierney, Igor Zubeldia, and Carlos Fernández.
Prediction & Analysis:
Historical encounters between Barcelona and Real Sociedad have often produced compelling drama, with the Blaugrana holding the upper hand in recent meetings.
Despite defensive vulnerabilities, Barcelona boasts attacking prowess led by Robert Lewandowski, their talismanic striker.
Real Sociedad’s stout defense, anchored by Mikel Oyarzabal, poses a formidable challenge for Barcelona’s frontline.
However, Barcelona’s home advantage and desire to secure third place in the league standings are likely to fuel their determination.
Our prediction favors Barcelona to emerge victorious with a narrow 2-1 win, signaling their intent to maintain their grip on third place in La Liga.
- Barcelona 2-1 Real Sociedad
