In La Liga, Real Sociedad will face Barcelona.
Barcelona was held to a 0-0 draw at home by Rayo Vallecano on the opening
weekend, while Real Sociedad defeated Cadiz 1-0. Real Sociedad finished sixth
in La Liga last season, and the club's chances of qualifying for the Champions
League this season are high.
Last season, Los Txuri-Urdin started brilliantly
before slipping to the Europa League places, which is no small feat for a club
that was competing in the second tier as recently as 2010. Since his
appointment as head coach in 2018, Imanol Alguacil has gradually improved Real
Sociedad, guiding them to a top-half finish in each of his four full seasons in
charge.
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https://shoot2score.live/hd-11/ Alguacil's team will have the perfect opportunity to prove it when they face Barcelona at Anoeta Stadium on Sunday, after defeating Cadiz 1-0 on the road last weekend thanks to Takefusa Kubo's 24th-minute strike. If Real Sociedad is a calm and steady progression after spending modestly over the years, Barcelona is a stark contrast after another busy summer in Catalonia.
Barcelona's season got off to a disappointing start
last weekend when they were held to a goalless draw by Rayo Vallecano at
Spotify Camp Nou, despite fielding a star-studded squad that included new
signings Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Andreas Christensen. Xavi's team
will be hoping to put that incident behind them and get their season back on
track, especially since Real Madrid has already won two games in a row.
However, there is a distinct lack of organisation
and cohesion at the club, with Kounde unlikely to be registered for the second
weekend in a row as the club desperately attempts to clear the wage bill in
order to make room in their squad for the former Sevilla defender. Off-field
disruption frequently leads to on-field disruption, and this appeared to be the
case at Nou Camp last weekend. Despite having 21 shots and 68% possession
against Rayo, Xavi's team struggled to break down their tenacious opponents
throughout the game.
To be fair, with three new signings named to the
starting XI, a lack of chemistry was perhaps to be expected. The 42-year-old
expects big-money signings. Raphinha and Lewandowski are getting better after
another week of adjusting to their new surroundings, but they will undoubtedly
face a step up in class when they arrive in the Basque country this weekend.
Mikel Oyarzabal, Real Sociedad's key attacking midfielder, will be out until at
least mid-October after rupturing his cruciate ligament.
Diego Rico was forced off late against Cadiz due to
a hamstring injury and will almost certainly join Alex Sola and Carlos
Hernandez on the sidelines, while Martin Merquelanz is out with a knee injury.
Rico is expected to be replaced at left back by Aihen Munoz.
This could be especially true on Sunday, when Sergio
Busquets will be suspended for receiving a second yellow card in injury time
against Rayo. Xavi may look to Frenkie De Jong and Kessie to start alongside
Pedri in midfield after making an impact off the bench, with Gavi dropping out
after a poor performance. Similarly, Eric Garcia could be benched to allow
Sergio Araujo to move inside into his preferred central role, with Sergio
Roberto a natural fit at right-back to provide more natural possession ability.
Raphinha and Lewandowski will almost certainly start
again, but after an excellent cameo last time out, Ansu Fati may be preferred
to Ousmane Dembele on the left flank, especially with Ferran Torres still
recovering from a foot injury suffered in the previous game.
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