La Liga: Barca Out to Maintain Momentum

Real Sociedad vs Barcelona

Barcelona have surprised me this season. When I look at their starting XI, I see plenty of talent comprising a mix of potentially world class youngsters and experienced pros.

Despite all of that, I just don’t see a side, like some of the Barca teams of the not-too-distant past, ready to dominate La Liga and Europe.

However, results so far in 2024-25 do not back up my belief.

 

Talking Points

Their domesticform has been largely excellent, most notably a 4-0 victory in El Clasico nearly a fortnight ago, in which they destroyed reigning champions Real Madrid with a second half blitz.

Their lead at the top is a very healthy nine points, albeit they have played one more game than second placed Real.

And it’s not just in domestic competition where they have caught the eye.

Their 4-1 evisceration of Bayern Munich in the Champions League was as emphatic as it was impressive as their nemesis of recent years were well and truly put to the sword by one of the finest “Blaugrana” performances in recent memory.

Barça had not beaten the Bavarians since May of 2015 (3,458 days to be precise), when Lionel Messi and Neymar scored in a 3-0 win. The teams had met five times since then with Bayern winning every time.

A Raphinha hat-trick –he also netted three of the seven against Real Valladolid – made him the fourth Brazilian to get a hat-trick for Barça in the Champions League, following on from Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Neymar.

Good company indeed.

Barcelona are flying, and their only slice of negative news in this past week came when Pau Cubarsi needed 10 stitches after he was accidentally kicked in the face during their 5-2 midweek win Champions League victory at Red Star Belgrade. The photo made the teenager look like he had been attacked in a brawl.

Thankfully, his manager Hansi Flick says he is recovering well and is expected to be available for Sunday night’s trip to the Basque country.

La Liga 2024 highlights have been harder to come by for opponents Real Sociedad, and boss Imanol Alguacil will need to judge the condition of some of his players following their Europa League game away to Viktoria Plzen.

Hamari Traore, Pablo Marin, and Arsen Zakharyan are their main absentees. Left-back Aihen Munoz is not travelling to Czechia due to the imminent birth of his first child, but he will likely be available on Sunday.

After scoring in last weekend’s victory at Sevilla, captain Mikel Oyarzabal may retain his place at centre-forward ahead of Orri Oskarsson, as 11^th hosts first.

 

History 

Barcelona won both games last season, including in this corresponding contest a year ago when Ronald Araújo’s last-gasp ended the hosts’ 16-game unbeaten La Liga run in the process.

Barca won at home 2-0 when teenage star Lamine Yamal and a Raphinha penalty sealed the points in a match which confirmed the runners-up spot.

In May 2023, Sociedad triumphed in the Nou Camp in a memorable encounter as Mikel Merino and Alexander Sorloth – two players no longer with them – scored the goals, albeit against a team which had already been crowned Spanish champions.

You have go to back to April 2016 for the last time they defeated their opponents on home turf when an early goal from Oyarzabal proved enough for the San Sebastian men, then managed by David Moyes.

They have met a total of 20 times since then (16 in La Liga, three in the Copa del Rey, and once in the Supercopa), and Barca have won 17 times with two draws.

Overall, there have been 103 Barca victories in their head-to-head games in all competitions with 34 Sociedad successes and 36 draws.

The last time Sociedad won in the Nou Camp was in a league game in 1991 when, three days after Barcelona had been beaten by Manchester United in the European Cup Winners’ Cup Final, they lost 3-1 at home.

The English contingent of Dalian Atkinson and John Aldridge each scored before Julio Salinas netted a consolation.

 

Betting Tip

Sociedad are struggling and that is reflected in the SBOTOP La Liga 2024 betting odds.

The home side can be backed 1X2 @ 3.82 and Asian Handicap +0.50 @ 2.11, with Barca odds-on to win 1X2 @ 1.80 and Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 2.42.

For a side which appears at the top of its game from an attacking perspective, you won’t be surprised to hear that Over 3.00 is on offer @ 2.11, so perhaps Total Goal 4-6 @ 2.84 is a more appealing, although it’s a riskier option.

A repeat of the fixture from 12 months ago is an option @ 7.50 with Correct Score 1-2.

I do think there will be goals, but I don’t think it will be one-sided.

Sociedad showed they are better than their league position suggests when they won 2-0 at Sevilla last weekend – a game in which a moment of magic from La Real’s Japanese star Takefusa Kubo broke the deadlock before Oyarzabal calmly swept home the second from the penalty spot.

That is why I think they may just have enough to claim a point in Sunday night’s encounter.

 

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