LA LIGA PREVIEW: BARCELONA VS REAL SOCIEDAD

The newly minted league champions roll out against a side with plenty to play for.

Barcelona are the new champions of Spain. After delivering one of their best performances against Espanyol at the RCDE stadium, the Catalan giants clinched the league title with 4 games to spare. It's been a superb domestic campaign for Xavi's crew and they'll want to put on a show expected from champions in front of their fans, after which they'll lift the La Liga trophy.

It's not going to be a walk in the park though. They'll have to actually show up, as they'll be locking horns with Real Sociedad, who sit 4th in the standings but are being chased by Villarreal. A defeat will close the gap between them and the yellow submarines to 2 points. They've rediscovered their form in recent times, but were held at home to a draw by a spirited Girona last weekend. The three points here will be greatly needed, but what are the odds of an away side getting a win at the Camp Nou this season?

INTERESTING STATS

- Barcelona have the best defence in the league having conceded just 13 goals so far.

- The Catalan giants have only lost three matches out of their 34 league games.

Barcelona have won 21 out of the last 31 matches against Real Sociedad.

- Xavi’s team are unbeaten in their last 13 matches against Real Sociedad in La Liga.

-Barcelona have an excellent home record against the visitors, having won each of their last 24 home matches.

-Barcelona are the only team that have scored six goals against Real Sociedad in a single game in La Liga, securing a 6-1 victory in March 2021.

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

Pedri and Ronald Araujo didn't show up to the recent training sessions due to discomforts, and Gavi is suspended due to accumulation of yellow cards. This will give Xavi the chance to give some fringe players much needed minutes.

Marc Andre TerStegen has a record to break, so he'll be between the sticks. Marcos Alonso could replace Araujo in the backline. Kessie could come into the midfield, joining DeJong and Busquets. Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele are expected to start alongside Robert Lewandowski. Pablo Torre, Eric Garcia, Jordi Alba and Ferran Torres will all be expected to show up at some point.

Real Sociedad

The visitors will be without the services of Brais Mendez, Umar Sadiq and Martin Merquelanz who are all out injured. David Silva will also be absent. Imanol is expected to field out the same XI that drew against Girona, bar Silva.

Alex Remiro will be in goal. Andoni Gorosabel and Aihen Munoz are expected to be the full-backs. Meanwhile, Igor Zubeldia and Robin Le Normand will be the centre-back.

Takefusa Kubo and Mikel Oyarzabal will start out wide in the centre of the park. Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino will be the central midfielders. Illarramendi could come in for Silva and will be in support of Alexander Sorloth in the attack.

Where and when are Barcelona vs Real Sociedad playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Stadium: Camp Nou

Date: Saturday 20 April

Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT

Referee: Javier Alberola Rojas

VAR: Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva

Real Sociedad will be desperate for the win in order to maintain the gap between them and 5th place Villarreal. But it's the Camp Nou, where Barcelona have been nothing short of imperious this season. And the Catalans wouldn't want to disappoint their fans either, even though there's nothing left to play for.

LA LIGA PREVIEW: ESPANYOL VS BARCELONA

The most vital Catalan Derby in history, with all the ingredients needed to make it a classic. 

One team is playing to clinch the league title. The other is playing to stay alive in La Liga. As if the Catalan Derby doesn't get fiery enough when nothing but pride is what's at stake.

FC Barcelona have had an outstanding domestic season,setting new records with each game. Coming off a bit of a rough patch last month, they've had consecutive home wins against Betis and Osasuna and are a win away from clinching the league title. This should give them enough confidence as they travel to enemy territory.

Espanyol however, have contrasting fortunes. They sit at 19th, having endured a shambolic season in all competitions and stare relegation in the face. They'll have to play out of their skins to survive, and would've preferred not to play Barcelona in such a moment. This is a derby, however. A clash that has had 2 draws in the last 3 meetings. They have every reason to leave it all on that field. Whether that'll be enough will be known soon.

INTERESTING STATS 

-Barcelona have a good recent record against Espanyol and have won 36 out of the last 61 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Espanyol's six victories.

-Espanyol are winless in their last 25 matches against Barcelona in La Liga - the longest winless streak by any team in a regional derby in the competition.

-Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 14 games away from home against Espanyol in La Liga, with their previous such defeat in the competition coming in 2007.

-Barcelona have recorded 101 victories in 175 matches against Espanyol in La Liga - only Real Madrid have a better record against the hosts, with 107 victories.

-Barcelona are winless in their last two matches away from home in La Liga and could endure a streak of three such games in a row for the first time under Xavi.

Last five meetings

31/12/22 (LIGA) Barça 1 (Alonso) Espanyol 1

13/02/22 (LIGA) Espanyol 2 Barça 2 (Pedri. Luuk de Jong)

20/11/21 (LIGA) Barça 1 (Memphis) Espanyol 0

08/07/20 (LIGA) Barça 1 (L Suárez) Espanyol 0

04/01/20 (LIGA) Espanyol 2 Barça 2 (L Suárez, A Vidal)

TEAM NEWS

Espanyol

Luis Garcia will be without the services of Jose Gragera, who is out injured. Meanwhile, Espanyol do have a major boost as former Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite is all set to return to the squad.

Fernando Pacheco will start in the goal. Oscar Gil and Brian Olivan will be the wing-backs. Cesar Montes, Sergi Gomez and Leandro Cabrera will be the three central defenders. Denis Suarez, Sergi Darder and Javi Puado will take charge in the centre of the park. Meanwhile, Braithwaite is likely to pair up with Joselu in attack.

Barcelona

For the first time in a long while, Xavi has a fully fit squad at his disposal as Sergi Roberto has been declared fit for the clash. The coach has also confirmed that Dembele is 100% ready to start, so we may see Barça roll out their Gala XI for the first time since the Supercup final.

TerStegen in goal, Koundé, Araujo, Christensen and Balde in defense. Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie and Busquets, who'll be playing his last Catalan derby, will be in midfield. Robert Lewandowski and Ousmane Dembele will round up the attack, with Pedri/Gavi supporting them from the left.

Where are Espanyol vs Barcelona playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Stadium: RCDE Stadium

Date: Sunday 14 May

Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT

Referee: Ricardo De Burgos

This has the potential to be one for the history books. Espanyol will leave blood, sweat and tears on the field, but Barcelona have everything they need to win this derby and clinch their first League title in 3 years.

LA LIGA PREVIEW: BARCELONA VS OSASUNA

The Catalans are ready to take one step closer...or are they?

At this point, the general feeling is that it's just a matter of time. A matter of time before Xavi wins his first La Liga title as coach. A matter of time before Barcelona win their first League title in 3 seasons! 

After dispatching Real Betis in commanding fashion, the Blaugrana are set to roar again as they welcome Osasuna to the Spotify Camp Nou. The team's performance against Los Verdiblancos was encouraging and it showed Barcelona close to their best this season. That's what happens when you have a fully fit squad.

Osasuna are, by their own standards, having a fantastic season as well. They are set to play their first Cup final in 18 years on Saturday against Real Madrid, but they'll have to get through a dress rehearsal against their archrivals. They seem focused on finishing in the Europeean spots this season, but there's no way they won't be thinking about the Copa del Rey final as they head into this clash.

INTERESTING STATS 

- Barcelona have lost just one of their last 13 games vs Osasuna in La Liga (W9 D3), 1-2 in July 2020, scoring at least once in each of their most recent ten league matches (34 goals in total, an average of 3.4 per game).

- Barcelona have scored more goals against Osasuna than any other side in La Liga history, both overall (178) and in home games (120).

- Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in 24 of their 32 La Liga games this season, equalling their best tally of clean sheets in a single season in the history of the competition (24 in 44 matches in the 1986/87 campaign).

- Osasuna have suffered four defeats in their last eight La Liga games (W3 D1), as many as in their previous 15 league games (W5 D6 L4).

- Jagoba Arrasate has lost four of his last five games against Barcelona in La Liga (D1), having suffered just one defeat in his first four league games against them (W2 D1).

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

Xavi will be without Sergi Roberto due to a hamstring injury. The rest of the squad are fit and firing.

TerStegen will be looking to equal Chelsea's clean sheet record of 25 as he starts in goal, shielded by Araujo, Koundé, Christensen and Balde.

Pedri and Frenkie DeJong are sure to start alongside Busquets. Gavi has played so many minutes in recent times and a rest may be useful. As such, Xavi may revert back to 4-3-3 with Ansu Fati starting at LW. This will, however, be their last game until the 14th, which means plenty of time to recuperate and Xavi will probably stick to his Gala XI for this game.

Robert Lewandowski has resumed scoring and is expected to continue against Osasuna, with the electric Raphinha by his side. Ousmane Dembele, not yet fully fit, should be seen later on, along with Ferran Torres and possibly Lamine Yamal once more.

Osasuna

As for Osasuna, Darko Brasanac is a long-term absentee with a serious knee injury, while David Garcia is a huge doubt for the visitors due to a muscular problem. Jagoba Arrasate has otherwise, a fit squad for his game. His eyes will be firmly set on the cup final, so rotations may be expected.

Sergio Herrera will take his spot between the sticks. Aridane Hernandez and Juan Cruz should form the central defensive partnership. And Nacho Vidal and Manu Sanchez should be the two full-backs.

As for the midfield unit, Jon Moncayola and Iker Munoz should pair up in the double pivot. Aimar Oroz will be flanked by Moi Gomez and Kike Barja. Kike Garcia or Ante Budimir are options to spearhead the attack.

Where are Barcelona vs Osasuna playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Stadium: Camp Nou

Date: Tuesday 2 May

Kick-off Time: 18:30 BST / 13:30 ET / 10:30 PT

Referee: Javier Iglesias Villanueva

VAR: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea

Osasuna are capable of causing Barcelona problems on their best days, but this will be a big mountain to climb. Barcelona are back go full strength and should be able to win this game comfortably, as long as they remain as focused as they were against Real Betis.