The match of the 20th round of the La Liga between Real Sociedad and Barcelona will take place on 18 January at Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastián. Real Sociedad vs Barcelona: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad started 2026 without a defeat. During the championship break Pellegrino Matarazzo took charge, and his debut was quite successful: the home team drew with Atletico Madrid (1:1). This was followed by an important away win over Getafe with a last-minute decisive goal (2:1), ending a six-match winless run in the La Liga. At the same time the unbeaten run in the La Liga reached three matches (1 win, 2 draws). Importantly, Real Sociedad climbed to 11th place in the standings. A negative is that the home team has failed to keep a clean sheet in 13 league matches.
- Real Sociedad Win With A (+1.5) Handicap In 14 Consecutive La Liga Matches.
- The Club's Home Scoring Run In This Competition Lasts 5 Games.
- Both Teams Scored In 10 Of The Last 11 Real Sociedad Matches In La Liga.
Potential Real Sociedad Lineup (4-3-3)*
Real Sociedad: Alex Remiro – Duje Caleta-Car, Jon Martin, Jon Aramburu, Sergio Gomez – Carlos Soler, Benat Turrientes, Brais Mendez – Takefusa Kubo, Goncalo Guedes, Mikel Oyarzabal.
Midfielder Yangel Herrera will not be available due to injury.
Barcelona
Barcelona completed the first half of the La Liga with another win, taking three hard-fought points in an away derby with Espanyol (2:0). The visitors have won nine league matches in a row and thus preserved a comfortable lead; Real Madrid still trail by 4 points. During the winning run the visitors have regularly scored at least two goals per game. Overall in the current La Liga campaign the club has scored 53 goals, the highest total in the competition. In the last three league matches they have kept clean sheets, the best defensive run this season.
- The Club Has Scored In 39 La Liga Matches.
- The Club's Uncompromising Run In This Competition Reached 16 Matches (14 Wins, 2 Losses).
- Both Teams Scored In 7 Of Barcelona's Last 9 Matches In La Liga.
Potential Barcelona Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Barcelona: Joan Garcia – Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Alex Balde – Frenkie de Jong, Eric Garcia – Marcus Rashford, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha – Ferran Torres.
Defender Andreas Christensen and midfielder Gavi are unavailable due to injuries.
Referee
Jesus Gil (Spain)
Matches – 11 (the La Liga, 2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards Shown (Including Second Yellows) – 44;
Average Yellow Cards Per Match – 4;
Red Cards Shown – 5;
Fouls Per Match On Average – 23;
Penalties – 18%.
Real Sociedad vs Barcelona: Match Prediction
Real Sociedad, led by a new coach, have started the year well: the first two La Liga games brought four points and the unbeaten run in this competition has reached three matches (1 win, 2 draws). However, the home team now faces one of their least favorable opponents. Since 2020 Real Sociedad have won only twice in 12 meetings with Barcelona in La Liga, losing in all other cases. Home support normally does not help much either: at their stadium Real Sociedad have lost six of the last eight head-to-head league meetings.
Barcelona have already won the Spanish Super Cup, and before that extended their La Liga winning run to nine matches. In the league the visitors have not slipped up since October, handling opponents of varying quality. All rare missteps this season have come away from home, but ahead of the trip to San Sebastián Barcelona have not dropped points in four consecutive away league games.
The visitors again look like favorites for their upcoming meeting.
Prediction: Barcelona to win
* For each team the starting lineup shows the players who started their previous match in this competition.
