Real Sociedad conceded late to draw 2-2 at Rayo Vallecano last weekend, missing a chance to post a fifth win in six league outings, with Imanol Alguacil’s men starting this round in fifth, five points behind upcoming opponents Barcelona. They’re a side Sociedad have struggled against, as despite emerging victorious in their last meeting in May, La Real have posted consecutive top-flight H2H wins just once in the 21st century.
The Reale Arena could be buzzing with anticipation though, as Real Sociedad have posted four consecutive league triumphs there, extending their unbeaten sequence in such matches (W10, D5). The ten most recent games in that run saw the hosts net the opener, although that’s something they haven’t done in three straight home LL H2Hs.
Barcelona may travel north-west a little subdued after failing to hold on to their lead in a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in last week’s El Clásico. While that represents their first competitive loss of the season, failure to win three of their last five LL encounters (W2, D2, L1) sees them start this round in fourth spot and four points behind their bitter rivals in white, sounding alarm bells over the Catalans’ title defence.
Being on the road should be a relief for Barça however, as they have avoided defeat in their last 12 LL visits to the Basque Country (W9, D3). That includes four victories in Xavi’s tenure as manager, but staying alert in the early exchanges could be vital, as the Catalans have conceded the opener in the first ten minutes of their last two away league trips, although they came back to draw both fixtures 2-2.
Players to watch: Mikel Oyarzabal scored Sociedad’s last two league goals and netted a fifth-minute winner in their last home LL victory against Barcelona in April 2016. Robert Lewandowski was a second-half substitute last weekend coming back from injury and will hope for 90 minutes on this occasion, having scored a brace in a 4-1 win for Barça last season at the Reale Arena.
Hot stat: Ahead of this LL round, Barça have won a league-high 6.6 corners per game, while Sociedad have conceded a league-low 3.6 corners per match.
