Barcelona vs Real Sociedad LIVE Football Match Score 20/05/2023
Fresh from securing the 2022-23 La Liga title, Barcelona will continue their campaign with a home match against top-four hopefuls Real Sociedad on Saturday afternoon.
Xavi’s side were crowned champions with four matches to spare by beating Espanyol 4-2 in the Barcelona derby last weekend, but Real Sociedad drew 2-2 against Girona and still have work to do if they are to secure a top-four position in the table. Barcelona have been comfortably the best side in La Liga this season, boasting a record of 27 wins, four draws and three defeats from their 34 matches to collect 85 points, which has left them 14 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the top of the table.
Xavi’s side were confirmed as champions for the 2022-23 campaign courtesy of their 4-2 win over Espanyol last Sunday, with the Catalan giants claiming the title for the first time since 2019.
Reclaiming the league trophy has to be seen as a huge positive, but Barcelona were knocked out of the Copa del Rey in the semi-finals by Real Madrid, while they again failed to make it out of the group stage of the Champions League before losing to Manchester United in the Europa League knockout round playoffs.
There is plenty for Xavi to improve on next season, and it will be fascinating to see how the summer unfolds for the club, with Lionel Messi being strongly linked with a return, while a recent report claimed that Neymar is also wanted back at Camp Nou, potentially on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
Barcelona will undoubtedly be looking to challenge for the biggest prizes next term, and they have four pressure-free games against Real Sociedad, Real Valladolid, Mallorca and Celta Vigo to finish the season, with the team capable of reaching 97 points in the division. It would be fair to say that this is a bigger match for Real Sociedad than it is for Barcelona, as the visitors are bidding to secure a top-four position in the table and Champions League football for next term.
Imanol Alguacil’s side are currently fourth, five points ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal, and they will bring a five-game unbeaten run into this match, which has included three victories.
The Basque outfit were held to a 2-2 draw by Girona at home last weekend, though, and another defeat in this match would certainly leave them vulnerable, especially as a tough end to the campaign sees them finish with games against Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.
Real Sociedad, who have not finished in La Liga’s top four since 2013, have been impressive on their travels this season, picking up 30 points from 17 matches, winning nine times in the process.
The White and Blues have not beaten Barcelona in La Liga since April 2016, though, with the Catalan outfit winning each of their last six meetings, including a 4-1 victory in the reverse game earlier this season. Barcelona will be without the services of Gavi through suspension due to the milestone yellow card that the youngster picked up in the 4-2 success over Espanyol last weekend.
Sergi Roberto was back on the bench in the Barcelona derby after recovering from a hamstring issue, and the Catalan outfit have no fresh injury concerns heading into this contest.
Head coach Xavi is unlikely to shuffle his pack despite the title being secured, although there could be a start in a wide area for Ousmane Dembele, who has recently returned from a hamstring problem, while Jordi Alba and Marcos Alonso are also pushing to be involved from the first whistle.
As for Real Sociedad, Brais Mendez, Umar Sadiq and Martin Merquelanz remain on the sidelines through injury.
Despite failing to overcome Girona last time out, Alguacil could name the same XI for this match, with Mikel Oyarzabal, Takefusa Kubo, David Silva and Alexander Sorloth all featuring in attacking areas.
Martin Zubimendi, who continues to be linked with a move to Barcelona, will again line up in central midfield alongside Mikel Merino, leaving Asier Illarramendi on the bench for the visitors.
In our first Barcelona vs Real Sociedad prediction, we have settled on the hosts to bag all the points from the 1×2 betting market. While this will be a formality for Barcelona despite winning the title already, they are likely to do all it takes to win all their remaining matches at Camp Nou. This is their second-last home game of the season and playing against a highly ambitious Real Sociedad could come with challenges but we expect Barcelona to win the duel.
Real Sociedad cannot afford to mess right now as they remain in contention for a top-four finish this season. The visitors are 4th, 5 points clear of 5th-ranked Villarreal. It means for Real Sociedad, the top four isn’t assured yet, so they must fight for it. With Barcelona already declared champions, we think Xavi will not stage a strong starting eleven as much as he would want his side to win the remaining home games. With that, we fancy Real Sociedad to equally find the back of the net/
The 2022-23 edition of La Liga returns to the fold with another round of matches this weekend as Real Sociedad take on Xavi’s Barcelona side in an important encounter at the Camp Nou on Saturday.
Real Sociedad are currently in fourth place in the La Liga standings and have been fairly impressive so far this season. La Real were held to a 2-2 draw by Girona in their previous game and will need to take it up a notch this weekend.
Barcelona, on the other hand, are at the top of the league table at the moment and have exceeded expectations on the domestic front. The Catalan outfit defeated local rivals Espanyol by a 4-2 scoreline last week and will look to achieve a similar result in this fixture. Barcelona have enjoyed a stellar La Liga campaign so far and could potentially make a few changes to their starting lineup this weekend. The likes of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha have been impressive this season and will look to make their mark in this fixture.
Real Sociedad can surprise any of the top teams on their day but have struggled at the Camp Nou in recent years. Barcelona have been the better team this season and should be able to win this game.
Xavi’s side have secured the title and technically have nothing left to play for, but the boss will demand full focus in pursuit of a number of defensive records, primarily La Liga’s clean sheet record.
It won’t be easy to secure that here, however. Real Sociedad sit fourth in La Liga, and despite their advantageous position, there is still work to do to secure that final Champions League spot. Gavi will be the only absentee for this one, with the young midfielder set to serve a suspension after racking up too many yellow cards.
Reports suggest Xavi plans to play some of his fringe players in the coming games but he definitely won’t go crazy just yet. That defensive record is too important, so expect a full-strength defence until that honour is secured.
