This Sunday, at 4:15 PM, the blaugranas and Donostiarras face off in the 26th matchday of LaLiga EA Sports. The match takes place at Lluís Companys, which is expected to have a large attendance, both due to the schedule and the opponent. This match can be watched on Movistar + LaLiga and followed minute by minute through our social media @carpetasblaugranas
Alejandro Quintero González will be in charge of refereeing the match, joined in the VAR by Valentín Pizarro. The Andalusian referee has already officiated a match for the Culers this season, in the defeat against Leganés by 0-1. Similarly, he has only been present in one match for Real Sociedad, although it was during a Copa del Rey match that ended 0-5 for Imanol's team.
How Barça Arrives
The Catalan team arrives at this event after that crazy Copa del Rey match, which at times they had lost, won, and finally drew. After the 4-4, several players stated that certain errors needed to be polished so that this type of match doesn't slip away again, without undermining what Atleti did. The best news was the great match played by Pedri and Lamine Yamal, who continue to establish themselves as one of the duos of the competition, especially due to their form.
Hans Flick, as he usually does, has praised the Basque team both for their defense and when they have the ball. Regarding the question about De Jong and Casadó, he said of the former that "he has improved a lot this month" and about the youth player that "he should be proud". He was also asked about the schedule and the German says he is impressed by the squad's performance, even when they only train once between matches.
Regarding the XI, some rotations are expected, for example in the central pair where Araújo might replace Cubarsí. The biggest doubt remains in the position of attacking midfielder, although here the one with the advantage is Gavi ahead of Dani Olmo and Fermín. Up front, the starting trio is expected, especially after Lewandowski's rotation in the Copa, so Ferran will return to the bench.
How Real Sociedad Arrives
Imanol's boys are not coming in great form, although it is true that they won their last league match as well as the Europa League one. However, they currently occupy the ninth position, which means they are outside the spots that grant access to Europe. The best news is that they are only one point away from sixth, Rayo Vallecano, the next is Villarreal which is 10 points away.
The Basque coach has praised Barça's great moment, defining their year as a "great season" so far. With this match, Imanol reaches 324 in charge of the Basque team, which he has described as "an honor to achieve", but now he wants more. He has also talked about the schedule and its demands, as "the level doesn't drop" and they have to be competitive.
Real Sociedad has several important absences, among them Kubo, Aguerd, and Becker suspended. Zakharyan, who returned against Leganés, has been injured again in the thigh and will be out until the end of the month. The rest of the XI will resemble the one that lost against Real Madrid, with the doubt in the midfield of whether Sergio Gómez will play as a full-back or interior alongside Zubimendi.
Match Keys
Leader Alone:Barça will take the field knowing what their two rivals have done, so they will know if they have dropped points in this league race. The two Madrid teams have already played their match and one of them, Real Madrid, has lost their match. If they win, they will be leaders alone, with a one-point advantage over Atlético.
Maintain the Fortress: in recent months, Barcelona has struggled to win at their own ground, in fact, they have lost 3 matches playing as hosts. It is true that they have improved in these weeks, defeating Valencia, Alavés, and Rayo Vallecano consecutively. However, it is curious that they have only beaten the latter two by 1-0.
Rotations: the German coach frequently uses the phrase "we need fresh legs", which translated means there have to be changes. The toughness of the schedule demands it, as next week the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 is played in a tough field like Da Luz. These modifications shouldn't lower the team's overall performance, as the squad seems quite 'plugged in' at this point in the season.
Initial Minutes: of all the goals they have conceded, 7 of them have been during those initial moments of the match. The last ones were conceded by Atleti, who went 0-2 up before the 5th minute, something that shouldn't be repeated. Although the German coach hasn't wanted to give it much importance, he will have instructed his players to come out focused from the start.