Real Sociedad vs Barcelona match preview and predictions for Sunday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups ahead of the game of the weekend in the Spanish top flight.
| Date | Sunday 21st March 2021 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Anoeta |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Real Sociedad vs Barcelona Preview
Real Sociedad and Barcelona are facing off in the pick of the weekend games in LaLiga. It’s the final game before the international break and the result of it will have a big impact in shaping the narrative for the rest of the season, at least in terms of the title race.
This was for a long period a real bogey ground for Barcelona, although Real Sociedad have found it more difficult to get the better of the Catalans in recent years at Anoeta. Indeed they’ve not won any of the last five meetings in San Sebastian but they are one of the few Spanish sides who at their best are capable of going toe to toe with Ronald Koeman’s side.
La Real had been in good form in LaLiga before a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Granada last time out. They’ve won their last 3 home games though to put themselves back in a very strong position to qualify for Europe once more. This is their final game before the big Basque derby Copa del Rey Final against Athletic Club but with a fortnight’s rest for their non internationals before that, it’s unlikely we’ll see Imanol opt to leave key players out of this game, although he does have quite a few selection problems in any case.
As for Barcelona, their Copa del Rey Final is four weeks away but the league is increasingly looking as though it is winnable now. They were effectively written off by many sections of the media earlier in the season but with Atleti now regularly dropping points and Real Madrid struggling to convince, it’s clear Barca have a real chance.
Victory in San Sebastian would underline that. This is one of their toughest remaining fixtures but with Barcelona playing with confidence again and having won 7 of their last 8 in LaLiga, they ought to fancy it. They cruised to a 4-1 win over Huesca last time out with Leo Messi and Antoine Griezmann both scoring fine goals and this is another match which has the potential to serve up plenty of goalmouth action.
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 4 Barcelona Wins, 2 Draws (90 minutes only).
- The last meeting came in the Supercopa Semis in January with Barcelona winning on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Seville.
- Barcelona had beaten La Real 2-1 at Camp Nou in December in LaLiga.
- Barcelona have won on 3 of their last 4 visits to Anoeta having previously gone a decade without a win there.
Team News
Joseba Zaldua and Aritz Elustondo are both absent for Real Sociedad. David Silva and Nacho Monreal are also doubts but may feature.
Gerard Piqué remains an injury doubt for Barcelona who have Ronald Araujo available again.
Predicted Real Sociedad Starting Lineup:
Remiro – Monreal, Le Normand, Zubeldia, Gorosabel – Merino, Illarramendi, Silva – Oyarzabal, Isak, Portu (4-3-3)
Predicted Barcelona Starting Lineup:
Ter Stegen – Alba, Lenglet, Araujo, Dest – Pedri, Busquets, De Jong – Griezmann, Messi, Dembele (4-3-3)
Real Sociedad vs Barcelona Predictions
LaLiga Expert Predicts: Real Sociedad 2-2 Barcelona (follow us on Tipstrr to view our betting tips)
This will be billed as the best game of the weekend in LaLiga and there’s a really good chance it will deliver. Both sides are naturally positive and both rank in the top four for goals scored so far this term in the Spanish top flight. Barcelona are playing well but they have shown they still have vulnerabilities when they come up against the better teams and La Real certainly fall into that category. The Catalans may end up dropping points here.
All our LaLiga Match Previews | BeGambleAware
