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Attendance: 75,470
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La Liga | Gameweek 33
Apr 20, 2019 at 7.45pm UK
 
Real Sociedad logo

2-1

Lenglet (45'), Alba (64')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Juanmi (62')

How Barcelona could line up against Real Sociedad

Sports Mole looks at how Barcelona could line up in this weekend's La Liga clash with Real Sociedad.

Barcelona will be looking to continue their charge towards the La Liga title when they welcome Real Sociedad to Camp Nou on Saturday night.

As it stands, Barca are nine points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid at the top of the table and are very much closing in on another championship.

Lionel Messi scored twice and Philippe Coutinho netted the other as Ernesto Valverde's side recorded a 3-0 win over Manchester United in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night. The victory handed the Spanish giants a four-goal aggregate success, setting up a semi-final with Liverpool.

The fact that Barca are so comfortable at the top of the division means that Valverde should be able to rotate his squad in the build-up to the first leg of their semi-final next month.

With that mind, Sports Mole takes a look at how Barca could line up against Sociedad.


POSS BAR XI vs. SOC

Out: Rafinha (knee), Thomas Vermaelen (thigh)

There were first-team debuts for Moussa Wague and Jean-Clair Todibo in last weekend's goalless draw with Huesca, while Riqui Puig and Jeison Murillo both made their La Liga debuts.

On-loan attacker Kevin-Prince Boateng was also amongst those to start for Barca in their last league match, but Valverde is expected to send a stronger team onto the field this weekend.

That does not mean that there will not be changes from the clash with United, though, as Nelson Semedo, Arturo Vidal and Ousmane Dembele should come into the XI.

There could be a spot for Samuel Umtiti at centre-back, with Carles Alena also pushing for a midfield role. Messi and Luis Suarez, though, are both expected to keep their spots in the final third.

Rafinha and Thomas Vermaelen are currently Barca's only first-team absentees, with Gerard Pique available once again having missed the clash with Huesca through suspension.

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Matt Law
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Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring against Lyon in the Champions League on March 13, 2019
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How Barcelona could line up against Huesca
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Atletico MadridAtletico18125133122141
2Real Madrid18124241182340
3Barcelona19122551222938
4Athletic Bilbao19106329171236
5Villarreal188643430430
6Mallorca199371921-230
7Real Sociedad187471613325
8GironaGirona187472625125
9Real BetisBetis186752122-125
10Osasuna186752327-425
11Celta Vigo187382728-124
12Rayo Vallecano185762021-122
13Las PalmasLas Palmas186482327-422
14Sevilla186482027-722
15Leganes184681728-1118
16AlavesAlaves184592130-917
17Getafe183781115-416
18Espanyol1843111630-1415
19Valencia172691626-1012
20Real ValladolidValladolid1833121237-2512


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
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