Real Sociedad vs Barcelona
This is not a bad time to be a Barcelona fan. The 2025 La Liga champions are in pole position in the Primera Division again and, with the Supercopa de Espana title already under their belts they have their eyes on another treble…maybe even a quadruple.
Hansi Flick’s team is in Copa del Rey action on Thursday night against Racing Santander and then they head to the Basque region to take on Real Sociedad on Sunday. The La Liga 2026 betting odds currently pitch Flick’s men as odds on favourites to win the title but they will face a stiff test in San Sebastian.
Pellegrino Matarazzo was appointed Real Sociedad boss in December and the Basque giants have responded well, and are unbeaten in five matches in all competitions. The hosts navigated their Copa del Rey tie on Tuesday and so have a couple of days extra to prepare for the visit of the Blaugrana.
And they will need them!
Talking Points
Sociedad are at a crossroads
A 2-1 win over Getafe last week launched Sociedad up the Primera League table to 11th place and within a victory of Athletic Club in eighth, but in a congested bottom half of the table La Real are only four points above the drop zone and three above Real Mallorca in 17th. Three points from their trip to Madrid gave La Real a huge boost but it took a record breaking goal for them to get over the line.
Brais Mendez thought he had given Sociedad all three points with a first half goal but Juanmi levelled for Getafe. It looked like Matarazzo’s men would have to settle for a point until Venezuelan wingback Jon Aramburu popped up with an injury time winner. Clocked at 94 minutes and 50 seconds the goal has become Real Sociedad’s latest winner in La Liga this century, and that’s the kind of moment which can spark a run of form.
La Real managed to navigate their Copa clash with Osasuna on Tuesday; but they needed penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time and Sociedad have just two wins in seven in the league; but under the new regime they look capable of picking up their La Liga 2026 results; though Sunday brings the toughest test imaginable.
Barcelona can smell Blancos’ blood
Almost immediately in the aftermath of Barcelona’s Supercopa win in Saudi, their El Clasico rivals, beaten again, parted company with head coach Xabi Alonso. It was a quicker than expected demise for the ex Madrid player, particularly as far as this SBOTOP writer was concerned.
Real Madrid were desperate for a fast start to 2026 but, while they have won three on the bounce in the Primera Division, they were outclassed by Barca in the Supercopa and have, under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa, just crashed out of the Copa del Rey to lower league opposition in Albacete.
While Flick is sure to rotate his squad against Santander on Thursday, he will be determined to keep his foot on the gas and avoid any slip-ups. And then it’s on to Sociedad where the Blaugrana will aim to protect their four point lead at the top of the Primera Division. Of course, the league is not a two horse race and Villarreal have shown up well in the first half of the campaign. But the El Clasico rivalry is arguably the biggest in world football and the Barca mantra is: ‘beat Los Blancos and win silverware’.
The Catalans would simply love to repeat their feat on 2025 and they have the players to do it. With four in the top seven La Liga scorers, Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, this is an attack which can dismantle any defence and, in the five games prior to the Supercopa final, all wins, the Blaugarana kept five clean sheets.
History
Barcelona lead Sociedad in the head to head results by 31 to seven and there have been seven draws over the past 51 encounters. In the Basque, Barca are nine to six ahead with seven draws.
When the two teams met in September the Blaugrana ran out 2-1 winners; but last season’s meeting in San Sebastian finished 1-0 to Sociedad.
With two wins, three draws and one defeat from the last six outings La Real are finding some consistency while the Blaugrana are relentless, with six wins from six over the same period. And Sociedad’s penalty shootout win over Osasuna on Tuesday was their first home triumph in four attempts.
Betting Tip
Sociedad are priced at 5.00 to win this exciting clash with the Draw at 4.33 and Barcelona at 1.57, and despite La Real’s recent improvement I expect the Catalans to prevail.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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