La Liga leaders Barcelona will look to continue their dominant run when they hit the road to face Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona comfortably sit at the top of the La Liga table, and they are gearing up to face 11th-placed Real Sociedad, who have been consistent throughout the new campaign.
The home team have accumulated just 15 points in their 12 outings with four wins, three draws and five defeats. While they were on a five-match unbeaten run it came to an end in their last outing against FC Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League.
La Real did win their last league outing against Sevilla 2-0, but they are heading into this one on the back of a defeat and will have to take down the best team in the competition to return to winning ways.
Barcelona have accumulated 33 points in their 12 outings thanks to 11 wins and a defeat. The Blaugrana have won their last seven outings across competitions and will be looking to build on it when they travel to face Real Sociedad.
Having thrashed teams like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in recent fixtures, Flick’s team will be confident of getting the job done against Real Sociedad. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Real Sociedad
The home team will be without quite a few first-team players as Nayef Aguerd, Ander Barrenetxea, Benat Turrientes, Pablo Marin, Hamari Traore, and Arsen Zakharyan.
Imanol Alguacil is expected to make a few changes to the XI that started in their last outing in the UEFA Europa League. Real Sociedad will line up in a 4-3-3 formation against Barcelona, with Alex Remiro in goal.
Jon Aramburu and Javi Lopez will be the full-backs, while Igor Zubeldia and Aritz Elustondo will feature in the heart of the defence. The back line will have a huge task of stopping the best attack in the division.
Martín Zubimendi will sit in front of the backline as the defensive midfielder. Brais Mendez and Luka Sucic will be in his support. The trio will look to ensure Barcelona midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings. Takefusa Kubo and Sergio Gomez could feature on the flanks, with Mikel Oyarzabal leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Elustondo, Javi Lopez; Mendez, Zubimendi, Sucic; Kubo, Oyarzabal, Gomez
Barcelona
Hansi Flick remains without the services of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, Marc Bernal, and Ferran Torres. While Pau Cubarsi suffered a nasty cut to his face against Crvena Zvezda, he is still expected to start in this fixture.
The visitors will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Inaki Pena will be in goal. Jule Kounde and Alejandro Balde will be the full-backs while Inigo Martinez will start alongside Cubarsi in the heart of the defence.,
While Frenkie de Jong did a great job in their last outing, he could return to the bench as Marc Casada has been doing wonders in midfield, and Flick prefers having him alongside Pedri in the double pivot. Dani Olmo should be the number ten, with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal on the flanks providing the width to their attack. Robert Lewandowski will continue to lead the line for Barcelona this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Key Stats
- Barcelona have the best attack in La Liga having already scored 40 goals in their 12 outings. The second best is Real Madrid with just 21 goals.
- Real Sociedad have only conceded ten goals so far which is the joint-best defensive record while the Catalan giants have conceded 11.
- Alguacil’s team have the worst home record this season with just four points in their six outings.
- The Blaugrana have not lost to Real Sociedad in the Basque Country in La Liga since April 2016.
- Hansi Flick’s team are on a seven-match winning streak across competitions.
Player to Watch
Raphinha
From being linked with a move away from Barcelona in the summer to becoming their most important player under Hansi Flick, Raphinha has had quite a journey in the last six months. The 27-year-old is at the peak of his power, having scored 12 goals and bagged ten assists in his 16 outings, and he will be eager to add to it against Sociedad.
Prediction
Real Sociedad 0-3 Barcelona
Barcelona have been on a roll this season, and they have been scoring goals for fun and winning games without much trouble. The Catalan giants are unlikely to have any trouble dealing with Real Sociedad, who have been inconsistent from the start. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 3-0 win for Hansi Flick and his charges.