Barça under pressure in the battle for second place
At the end of the 35th matchday in La Liga, the top match between third and sixth will be played on Monday evening. For the second time in a row, FC Barcelona have to play a home game at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on an unusual Monday evening, this time Real Sociedad are the guests in the Catalan metropolis
We expect a spirited clash between the traditional teams, because both teams have to play for victory, as their minimum goals are in danger: for Barcelona it is second place and qualification for the Spanish Super Cup, for Real Sociedad sixth place and qualification for the Europa League. Our Barcelona vs Real Sociedad prediction therefore aims for an atmospheric game with possibly a lot of excitement and a few goals, as has been the case in a number of Barça games recently – not always with the better end for the Catalans
The bookmakers with a German license also show in their Barcelona vs Real Sociedad odds that the home side are naturally favored, but that the visitors from the Basque country can also be expected to win. How will Barcelona react to the recent defeats, will Barça perhaps drop points again in the battle for second place?
What are the best bets and what is the form of both teams? We take a look at this in our Barcelona vs Real Sociedad preview, including betting tips, odds and team checks for both clubs
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
How are Barcelona responding to recent negative experiences? Barça have lost three of their last four games, and the 4-2 defeat in the Catalan derby against FC Girona ensured that the newly dethroned champions lost second place to their smaller neighbors.
It will therefore be interesting to see how the Blaugrana react on Monday evening. Will there be a renewed sense of insecurity, will the 4-2 defeat in Girona still have an effect? Or will Barcelona react with anger in their stomachs and determination to take the three points as a matter of urgency?
Ahead of Barcelona v Real Sociedad: Will Barça stabilize their defence?
The same was seen in the last Monday night game two weeks ago in the 4-2 win over Valencia, when they made a desperate run and turned the game around to win thanks to Lewandowski’s brace. However, blatant defensive errors were again evident there. Barça also defended too loosely in Girona, which paid off four times. Their work against the ball, especially around the penalty area, has been poor on several occasions recently. Barça have conceded a whopping 13 goals in their last four competitive matches.
In view of their defensive vulnerability, we favor the bet that goals will again be scored by both sides in Barcelona v Real Sociedad. It doesn’t necessarily have to be six again, Barça will certainly want to present themselves better and more focused in their work against the ball – but a clean sheet against Real Sociedad is no easy task.
Predicted Barcelona line-up:
Real Sociedad – Statistics & current form
Real Sociedad have scored in eleven of their last twelve games. Only against Real Madrid was there a 0:1 at home and thus no own goal in this period.
The team from San Sebastian were able to halt their small negative trend after three previous games without a win by beating Las Palmas 2-0 at home last matchday. An important victory, as Real Sociedad are fighting for sixth place and qualification for the Europa League. In sixth place, they have a two-point lead over Real Betis, but also have a tough remaining program. The remaining four matchdays include games against third-placed Barça, eighth-placed Valencia, fourth-placed Atletico and a direct clash with Betis.
Rivals Betis now have two supposedly easy duels with relegated Almeria and Las Palmas and could therefore have already moved past them in the next two matchdays before the final game for sixth place with Real Sociedad
Fight for sixth place: Real Sociedad under pressure in Barcelona
Real Sociedad’s many point losses against smaller teams could prove to be the “Txuri-Urdin’s” undoing. There have already been twelve draws, including some against teams from the bottom half of the table. Between matchday 15 and 23, there were six draws in nine weeks, including four 0-0 draws. Losing points against basement teams Cadiz, Alaves and Rayo in particular could now cost Real Sociedad dearly.
Both teams are therefore under pressure going into Monday evening’s game, as both Barcelona and Real Sociedad are in danger of missing out on their minimum targets.
Predicted Real Sociedad line-up:
Barcelona – Real Sociedad head-to-head comparison / H2H result
Last season, the Basques won 2:1 in Barcelona. Anyone who believes in another win for the visitors in view of Barça’s extremely shaky defense and state of mind recently will find exciting odds of 4.40 on average for Barcelona vs Real Sociedad.
If you believe in the Basque three-pointer in Barcelona but want to minimize the risk, you should check the free bet offers in advance. Many online bookmakers also offer exciting odds boost offers.
If we look at the record of this pairing, we see that point wins for the Basques have been a rarity of late. Barça have won 12 of their last 14 league games. Barcelona also have a clear lead in the overall balance with 114 wins in 193 duels, compared to 37 wins for Real Sociedad and 42 draws. The first clash this season ended narrowly 1-0 in favor of the Blaugrana – with the winning goal coming in stoppage time
Barcelona – Real Sociedad betting tip
In view of the table situation, Monday night’s game could once again be extremely exciting, possibly even high-class. Barça’s most recent games have all been clashes, and the Blaugrana will be under pressure to make amends after the derby defeat to Girona.
Real Sociedad already won in Barcelona last season and made it clear in their first meeting that they can hold their own – the 1-0 defeat at the end was extremely unlucky after a strong performance. The attacking problems that the “Txuri-Urdin” had at times during the season have also been overcome recently. While Barça were only able to stabilize their fragile defence in March, they are now showing their most vulnerable side again
For these reasons, we expect another turbulent top match with goals on both sides. BTS and Over 2.5 for Barcelona vs Real Sociedad is an obvious prediction for us. However, there are even more exciting odds on a Barça win with goal(s) conceded. After all, the Blaugrana have not only won 12 of their last 14 league matches against Real Sociedad, but also 13 of their 17 home games. The favorites may end up having the last word (late on) in a thrilling clash
