Real Sociedad vs Barcelona Predictions, Tips & Betting Preview

Barcelona travel to the Reale Arena to take on Real Sociedad in the pick of the weekend games in La Liga. You can catch all the action live and free-to-air in the UK on ITV4.

Hansi Flick’s side have certainly been well worth tuning in for in recent weeks. They’ve scored 29 goals in their last seven matches alone in all competitions, winning the lot to send out a real statement of intent to their domestic and European rivals.

Football Odds

In La Liga, Barça are certainly now the favourites to win back the title they claimed in the 2022/23 season. That success was relatively comfortable in that they finished 10 points clear of Real Madrid, but with only 70 goals scored across the campaign, it was far from the free-flowing, attacking football that supporters of the club demand.

They also weren’t good enough that season to make any real mark in Europe, but two years on under their new German coach, it already feels like a different story.

Just 12 games into the new league campaign, Barça have already scored 40 goals, dropping points on just one occasion. At the current rate, they will smash all kinds of records and they opened up a nine point advantage on Los Blancos with a 3-1 derby win against Espanyol last weekend.

They hit five in Belgrade on Wednesday night, with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice to take his season tally to 19 goals. That was a third straight Champions League win, with Young Boys and Bayern Munich also comfortably seen off.

It’s certainly a daunting task that awaits Real Sociedad this Sunday at the Reale Arena. This was a real bogey ground for Barça in the 2010’s, with the Catalans going a decade without a league victory in San Sebastian at one point, but they’ve tended to enjoy their more recent trips to the Basque seaside city.

Real Sociedad have lost their last four home league games against Barcelona. Of more pressing concern for Imanol Alguacil, is that his side has already lost four home league fixtures this season, and five out of seven in all competitions in front of their own fans.

It’s 10 defeats in their last 17 home games overall which is quite an alarming statistic for a side that was impressing on the Champions League stage this time last year.

There has certainly been a transitional feel to La Real since the summer. While midfielder Martín Zubimendi turned down a move to Liverpool, the exits of fellow Spain internationals Robin Le Normand and Mikel Merino, to Atlético Madrid and Arsenal respectively, have left big holes in their team.

Imanol will point to some positives in recent weeks, with away wins at Girona and Sevilla in La Liga suggesting that things might be moving in the right direction again. The versatile Sergio Gómez has certainly been a hit since his summer move from Manchester City, while Croatian youngster Luka Sučić is doing his best to fill Merino’s boots in the middle of the park.

However, there has still been an inconsistency to Real Sociedad. They were beaten 2-0 by Osasuna in their last home league game and head into this match, having conceded an 89th minute goal to lose 2-1 at Viktoria Plzeň in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Team News:

The home team head into this match with four injury absentees. Arsen Zakharyan, Hamari Traoré, Beñat Turrientes and Pablo Marín are all currently sidelined.

There’s better news regarding Nayef Aguerd who is expected to be fit enough to start in defence, despite picking up a knock in midweek. 20-year-old striker Orri Óskarsson scored Real Scoiedad’s goal in Plzeň, but he may still drop to the bench here, while Brais Méndez should rotate back into the side in midfield.

As for Barcelona, they are going to be without the injured Marc-André ter Stegen, Ronald Araújo, Ferrán Torres, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal and Eric García again.

They also have minor doubts over Dani Olmo, who is dealing with a bout of gastroenteritis, while Pau Cubarsí required ten stitches in his face after a nasty collision in Belgrade. Lamine Yamal has also been unable to train fully in the build up to this game, making his participation unclear.

Match Odds: Real Sociedad vs Barcelona

Barcelona head into this one as the 8/11 favourites to make it 12 wins from 13 in La Liga this term. Real Sociedad are priced at 7/2 to win the game, with the Draw available at 3/1.

You can also back Barcelona and Over 2.5 goals at 7/5, a winning bet in all of their last seven matches. Barcelona and Both teams to score is on offer at 21/10, while you can back the visitors to win both halves at 7/2.

If you see this being a real test for the Catalans, Real Sociedad or Draw is priced at 11/10 in the Double Chance market. La Real are also available at 7/5 to win either half.

Mikel Oyarzabal is perhaps the standout option in the goalscorer markets for the home team, with the Euro 2024 winner available at 8/1 to score first and 5/2 to score anytime. You can also back in-form Robert Lewandowski to open the scoring at 7/2, with the Barça striker available at 21/20 to score anytime.

Meanwhile, the Bet Builder serves up a range of options as always, with Barcelona to win, Lewandowski to score and Real Sociedad most booking points boosted to 6/1.

Bet Builder - Barcelona over 1.5 goals & Barcelona over 3.5 corners @ 11/10

Flick’s side are playing with such confidence right now, that no test seems too steep for them. While this is typically one of the tougher away games in La Liga, Real Sociedad’s miserable home form suggests that might not necessarily be the case.

While fatigue could eventually be a factor for Barcelona, with Flick favouring continuity rather than rotation in defence and attack, punters should be aware that Real Sociedad also went very strong with their lineup on Thursday in the Europa League.

Therefore, the hosts won’t be at their absolute freshest either and given Barça have scored three or more in each of their last seven games, I’m using the Bet Builder to back Barcelona over 1.5 goals and Barcelona over 3.5 corners at 11/10 here.

Raphinha to score anytime @ 15/8

There was talk of Raphinha leaving Barcelona in the summer, but the former Leeds man has spectacularly silenced his doubters so far this season. The Brazilian is in the form of his life with 12 goals and eight assists already this term in all competitions.

He has registered a ridiculous 13 goal contributions in his last seven matches alone, getting on the scoresheet on seven occasions across that period. He should be full of confidence heading into this game as a result and I’m backing Raphinha to continue his current hot streak and score anytime at 15/8.

Football Betting Tips from Betfred Insights.