Real Sociedad vs Barcelona Prediction: Back a slow start for Barca

| Saturday 17th January 2026, 19:35pm

Saturday 17th January 2026, 19:35pm

Barcelona are back from Saudi Arabia with a trophy and look to take another step forward towards winning La Liga as they travel to Sociedad on Sunday night (20:00) in a game live on Premier Sports.

Our La Liga correspondent previews the action ahead of Sunday's match as he brings us the Team News, Match Odds and his two Best Bets for the match. Let's check out his Real Sociedad vs Barcelona Predictions here on Betfred Insights...

Real Sociedad vs Barcelona Betting Tips

First-half Double Chance - Real Sociedad or Draw @ 8/11
Mikel Oyarzabal 3+ shots & Real Sociedad over 3.5 corners @ 13/10 via Bet Builder

*odds correct at time of publication

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*You can check out all the Football Odds and markets on offer with us over at betfred.com

Match Preview:

Barcelona travel to the Basque Country to take on Real Sociedad in La Liga on Sunday. Hansi Flick's side are on an 11-game winning streak in all competitions, but this promises to be a genuine test for the league leaders.

It hasn't been a great period for La Real, but the appointment of Pellegrino Matarazzo, the first-ever American coach in the Spanish top flight, has sparked a bit more optimism.

His predecessor, Sergio Francisco, was sacked in December with Real Sociedad down in 15th place. They've not lost in five competitive games since then, with three of those coming under the guidance of the former Stuttgart and Hoffenheim boss.

Matarazzo's reign started with a strong display in a 1-1 home draw against Atlético Madrid. They played with renewed energy on that occasion, with Take Kubo the pick of the players as the Basques penned Diego Simeone's side back for long periods.

A late Jon Aramburu header sealed a first victory for the new coach last time out in the league at Getafe. Matarazzo then watched his side come from two down to edge out Osasuna on penalties in the Copa del Rey in midweek, with another stoppage-time goal from a defender proving decisive.

The cup could prove a very welcome distraction for Real Sociedad over the coming weeks, but they will still feel as though a late push for European qualification is not impossible in La Liga. That would require a sustained run of good results, and the early signs are positive following the change in the dugout.

Anything would be a bonus for the hosts here as Barcelona come calling. The visitors will take some stopping in La Liga, with a turbulent week at Real Madrid adding to the sense that Flick's men should defend the title they won last term.

It has already been a busy 2026 for the Catalan giants. They started the new year with a slightly fortuitous 2-0 win at Espanyol in the derby, with goalkeeper Joan García pulling off some brilliant saves against his former club.

Barça have played three cup games since then, with the first two over in Saudi Arabia in the Supercopa. They blew Athletic Club away 5-0 in a devastating semi-final display, before edging a five-goal thriller against Real Madrid in the final, with Raphinha scoring twice.

They still have a realistic chance of claiming a domestic treble for the second season running, following a 2-0 victory away to Segunda División leaders Racing Santander in the Copa del Rey on Thursday. Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal grabbed late goals as a largely rotated Barcelona side got the job done.

There are still five more matches for Flick's side to play before a hectic January concludes. This may prove to be the toughest of the bunch, although the German will have half an eye on Wednesday's trip to Prague in the Champions League, when they'll be under real pressure to pick up three points.

Team News:

Orri Steinn Óskarsson and Yangel Herrera are the only injury concerns for Real Sociedad, but neither have featured much this season due to various fitness issues. There will be some changes from the team that started in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday, with Álex Remiro, Brais Méndez and Jon Martín expected to return.

As for Barcelona, Pedri, Raphinha and Eric García should come back in after only making the bench in Santander. Andreas Christensen and Gavi are the only remaining injury absentees.

Flick currently has two positions where it's unclear who his preferred option is. Up front, Ferran and Robert Lewandowski are fighting for one role, while Fermín López and Dani Olmo are both strong options as the attacking midfielder.

Real Sociedad vs Barcelona Predicted Lineups

Real Sociedad: Remiro, Aramburu, Caleta-Car, Martin, Gomez; Soler, Turrientes, Kubo, Mendez, Guedes, Oyarzabal
Barcelona: E. Garcia, Kounde, Cubarsi, E. Garcia, Balde, Pedri, De Jong, Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha, F. Torres

Match Odds:

Barcelona are the 4/7 favourites to leave the Reale Arena with maximum points. You can also back the Draw at 7/2, while Real Sociedad are on offer at 4/1 to claim their biggest scalp of the season.

Over 3.5 goals is on offer at 1/1, while you can back Real Sociedad to score over 1.5 goals at 13/8. The hosts are also priced at 6/4 to win either half.

Barcelona have won six of their last seven matches in all competitions to nil. You can back a repeat at odds of 21/10 on Sunday night, while the visitors are priced at 5/4 to score over 2.5 goals.

Raphinha has been a major goal threat for the Catalans of late, and he's priced at 7/2 to score first and 1/1 to score anytime in San Sebastián. You can also back Yamal to register a goal at 23/20.

From a home perspective, Mikel Oyarzabal is priced at 13/8 to score anytime, while you can back attacking midfielder Brais Méndez to get on the scoresheet at odds of 10/3.

*You can bet on and check out all of our Real Sociedad vs Barcelona Odds with our full betting markets on betfred.com

Real Sociedad vs Barcelona Stats

Barcelona (19.32) have more shots/90 than any other La Liga side
The away side have been shown the fewer yellow cards (28) this season in Spain's top flight.
Real Sociedad (61.9%) have the lowest save percentage in La Liga.

Bet 1 - First-half Double Chance - Real Sociedad or Draw @ 8/11

This is clearly a Real Sociedad side that is currently experiencing something of a new-manager bounce, and that makes this game a lot more interesting than it otherwise might have been.

They were really good in the first half of their home game against Atleti a fortnight ago. La Real created some clear opportunities, and restricted their opponents to only three harmless attempts in the first 45 minutes. The plan will surely be to play with a high intensity from the off in a bid to get the crowd involved on Sunday.

Barcelona have often taken their time to get going on their travels this season. They've been behind at the break on four occasions away in La Liga, and I'm backing Real Sociedad or Draw at 8/11 in the First-half Double Chance market here.

Bet 2 - Mikel Oyarzabal 3+ shots & Real Sociedad over 3.5 corners @ 13/10

While they are conceding fewer goals, Barcelona have still given up plenty of chances in some of their recent matches. Their main vulnerability remains to fast attacks through the middle of the pitch, and Espanyol striker Roberto Fernández had four attempts, and spurned some great opportunities in their last league outing.

That suggests the home team's main goal threat will come through Oyarzabal. The Spain international has had at least three shots in all of his last eight appearances for club and country.

With Barça averaging 5.6 corners conceded per 90 minutes on their travels in La Liga, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Oyarzabal to have 3+ shots and Real Sociedad to win over 3.5 corners at 13/10.

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Mark Sochon P/L 25/26 Season:

Points Staked: 138
Points Returned: 136.84
P/L: -1.16

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...