No much things to make Real Sociedad optimistic about its ranks before this duel with Barcelona and the only thing on their
side is the tradition of their mutual duels. It does not have to mean
much, but, psychologically speaking, this duel will help Real Sociedad who is in a pretty bad shape
and they were eliminated from the Cup when it was not expected, while
they have only one triumph in the previous 07 rounds of the
championship.
In two rounds ago, Real Sociedad defeated Sevilla in their field
with 3-1 after a solid draw in the Basque derby against Athletic Bilbao, but
in the last defeat by Leganes. Coach, Eusebio, kept the same lineup against Sevilla and only Oyarzabal replaced
Januzaj, who was injued, but it did not help. Player, Januzaj, is now back, while I.Martinez is
injured.
As usuall, FC Barcelona is again dominating the Spanish football, and as things
stand now, the team's goal is to get both domestic titles. The championship is
practically already won because the second-ranked Athletic Bilbao has 09
points less. Barcelona reached the quarterfinals in the Cup in a very
convincing way, after two matches with Celta Vigo. In Vigo, Barcelona played in a
combined team and ended with 1-1, but when they played with a much
stronger team on Nou Camp, where they defeated Celta Vigo with 5-0. In the
championship they made a series of 04 victories in which they scored
12 goals and kept their net clean.
In addition to having the most
efficient attack, FC Barcelona also has the best defence in the league. A couple
of days ago, the team also reinforced their defence by bringing the Colombian
center-back Mina, but the real boost was the arrival of player, Coutinho, who is
still injured and will not be able to play. The center-back, Umtiti, is also injured , but while Dembele is fully recovered and Busquets
returns after the suspension, so he would try to play a good match against Real Sociedad.
Probable Lineups:
Real Sociedad: Rulli – Odriozola, Raul Navas, D.Llorente, Rodrigues – Zurutuza, Illarramendi, Xabi Prieto – Oyarzabal, Willian Jose, Januzaj
Barcelona: ter Stegen – S.Roberto, Pique, Vermaelen, J.Alba – Busquets, Paulinho, Iniesta – Messi, L.Suarez, Dembele
