Barcelona take on the visitors Real Sociedad in the round 7 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Sunday, September 28th at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (Barcelona).
Barcelona have shown rapid improvement under Flick — after the “trophy vacuum” in 2024 (which led to the dismissal of club legend Xavi), he guided his side to success in all domestic competitions, first in the Super Cup, then in La Liga and the Copa del Rey, beating Real each time (though they stumbled in the Champions League against Inter in the spring). This season the Catalans already had issues in August: against Levante they had to mount a comeback from 0-2 at halftime, and against Rayo Vallecano they were limited to a draw. However, in their last matches they convincingly beat both Getafe and Oviedo, scoring three goals in each. Even a defensive error by García, which gifted a goal to a promoted side in the previous round, did not unsettle them. Barcelona have now won four of their last five competitive fixtures, with a noticeable improvement in attack thanks to the contributions of both experienced players and young talents. Defensively, they still concede at times, but their ability to dominate possession and create chances usually offsets those lapses.
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Real Sociedad have yet to find any real improvement. The Txuri-urdin under Alguacil had reached some of their best results in recent history. They won a cup, finished 4th in La Liga, and reached the Champions League knockout stage. But already late in the previous campaign a decline was visible, and the 2024/2025 season turned into a disappointment, especially in La Liga, where they finished 11th with only 46 points. This cost Imanol his job, and in the summer he was replaced by the little-known but “homegrown” Sergio Francisco. However, it took him a long time to secure his first official win. Draws against Valencia and Espanyol were followed by a damaging defeat to Oviedo. After the international break, they expectedly lost to Real Madrid, 1-2, and then fell to Betis as well. This week finally brought a much-needed 1-0 win over Mallorca, important both for morale and for the standings. Despite this, Sociedad have lost three of their last five matches and continue to struggle in attack, having scored just four goals in that span. Their away form is especially concerning, with no victories on the road so far this season.
Overall, the advantage of the “more than a club” side is obvious. But last season, which was so contrasting for these teams, they exchanged victories. The visitors from San Sebastián simply don’t have the tools to compete with the hosts. We back the champions to win with a -1.5 handicap.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win with -1.5 handicap.
