Having officially lost their La Liga title, Barcelona will be looking to end the season on a high as they host Real Sociedad in a Monday night fixture.
The Catalans will be counting on their solid home record here and should have the upper hand over Sociedad, who have not been at their beat lately.
Barcelona are coming off a 4-2 defeat at Girona in their previous La Liga fixture. That result officially confirmed Real Madrid as champions and also means the Catalans have now dropped to third on the table.
The task for Barcelona in the final weeks of the season will be to end their campaign in a high and possibly reclaim second position on the standings. Xavi’s men have been solid at home as they are unbeaten in their last six matches in front of their fans, claiming five wins in that run.
Real Sociedad were victorious last time out in La Liga as they triumphed 2-0 over Las Palmas. That was a vital win for Imanol Alguacil’s men, who were winless in their previous three fixtures.
Sitting sixth on the standings, Real Sociedad will be looking to fend off the likes of Real Betis and Valencia and secure the final European slot. They have done some good work on their recent travels and are unbeaten in six of their last seven La Liga away matches.
How the bookies view it: Catalans heavily favoured
Barcelona are considered an overwhelming favourite among the bookies, with a home win priced at 5/6 by bet365. A victory for Real Sociedad is valued at 16/5, while a draw is set at odds of 13/5.
Head to head: History favours Barcelona
Barcelona have a 41-9 advantage with 11 draws from 61 previous matches against Real Sociedad. The Catalans have been dominant in recent meetings, winning six of the last seven meetings while also claiming a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in November.
Players to watch: Lewandowski remains biggest goal threat
Robert Lewandowski took his tally to 17 La Liga goals with his effort at Girona and will be the one to watch for Barcelona. The Polish striker has now found the net four times in his last two matches and is priced at 6/4 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Mikel Oyarzabal often carries the attacking threat for Real Sociedad and could be worth keeping an eye on. The forward has nine La Liga goals and is priced at 3/1 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Monday.
Probable lineups
Kieran Tierney remains sidelined for Real Sociedad while Takefusa Kubo could return to the starting lineup after playing as a second half substitute against Las Palmas.
Barcelona are still without Alex Balde and Frenkie De Jong, although Raphinha could be handed a start after coming off the bench at Girona
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo, Christensen, Gundogan, Sergi Roberto, Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski
Real Sociedad: Remiro, Odriozola, Le Normand, Pacheco, Javier Galan, Turrientes, Merino, Kubo, Becker, Oyarzabal, Silva
Anything else catch the eye? Attacks to capitalise on vulnerable backlines
Barcelona and Real Sociedad are often unconvincing at the back and given their attacking quality, both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with bet365. The Catalans have seen over 3.5 goals in their last four matches across all competitions and a repeat is priced at 12/5 while over 2.5 goals is set at odds of 10/11.
The Catalans have scored in both halves in two of their last three La Liga matches and a similar pattern is priced at 2/1 by bet365.
This La Liga match between Barcelona and Real Sociedad will be played on May 13, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Barcelona vs Real Sociedad prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
