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Played
February 4, 2012 9:00 PM GMT
Camp Nou — Barcelona
Referee: Carlos Clos Gomez
Attendance: 92000
February 4, 2012 9:00 PM GMT
Camp Nou — Barcelona
Referee: Carlos Clos Gomez
Attendance: 92000
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| Barcelona | 1.08 | 0.00 | 1.75 | 1.00 | 1.07 | 1.01 | 1.08 | 1.08 |
| Draw | 11.00 | 0.00 | 3.50 | 46.00 | 12.00 | 20.00 | 14.00 | 11.00 |
| Real Sociedad | 30.00 | 0.00 | 4.75 | 81.00 | 26.00 | 200.00 | 22.00 | 18.00 |
La Liga Preview: Barcelona - Real Sociedad
The Catalan side attempt to end their recent run of draws as Phillipe Montanier's outfit travel to Camp Nou for Spanish Primera Division action
By Martin Macdonald
Getty
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PROBABLE LINEUP |
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BARCELONA  Valdes Alves, Pique, Puyol, Abidal Xavi, Busquets, Thiago Messi, Cesc, Sanchez |
REAL SOCIEDAD
 Bravo C.Martinez, Gonzalez, I.Martinez, Estrada Elustondo, Aranburu, Zurutuza Griezmann, Agirretxe, Vela |
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has a number of first team squad members out injured as he prepares for the match against Real Sociedad. Andres Iniesta and Pedro are currently sidelined with thigh injuries, along with long-term absentees David Villa, Andreu Fontas, and Ibrahim Afellay.
Seydou Keita is still on African Cup Of Nations duty with Mali but Barca have been buoyed by the sharp return to fitness of Alexis Sanchez, who was thought to be out for a number of weeks with a shoulder injury but featured in the recent matches against Villarreal and Valencia.
Dani Alves should come back into the starting XI after being dropped for the Copa del Rey match at the Mestalla on Wednesday.
Phillipe Montanier's side have a few slight worries for the match at Camp Nou. Asier Illarramendi has returned to ball work in training and Alberto de la Bella is progressing to full fitness, but neither will feature against Barcelona.
On a positive note for Sociedad, Vadim Demidov has returned to full training and could feature in some capacity against the Catalans.
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DID YOU KNOW? |
- The last match between Barcelona and Real Sociedad ended in a 2-2 draw with
Phillipe Montanier's outfit coming from two goals behind to earn a draw at the Anoeta.
- It has been four years since Barca recorded three successive draws. They drew 2-2 against Real Madrid, 0-0 in Villarreal and 1-1 against Valencia in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night.
- Carles Puyol scored his third goal of the season in the draw at the Mestalla. His tally for his club now stands at 12 goals in 535 appearances for the Catalan giants.
- Real Sociedad are currently 12th place in the Spanish Primera Division with 24 points taken from 20 games.
- Sociedad have scored 37 goals less than Barcelona in the league so far this season. The Txuri-urdin have netted 22 goals compared to Barca's 59.
- Real Sociedad have contributed to Barcelona's stuttering away form this season. Pep Guardiola's side have drew five times on the road in La Liga and one of those stalemates came at the Anoeta.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Barcelona 5-0 Real Sociedad
- 17.58 %
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Barcelona 4-0 Real Sociedad
- 13.1 %
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Barcelona 3-0 Real Sociedad
- 12.4 %
| La Liga (LIGA) | 4 Feb 2012 | Barcelona 2 - Real Sociedad 1 |
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| La Liga (LIGA) | 10 Sep 2011 | Real Sociedad 2 - Barcelona 2 |
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| La Liga (LIGA) | 30 Apr 2011 | Real Sociedad 2 - Barcelona 1 |
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| La Liga (LIGA) | 12 Dec 2010 | Barcelona 5 - Real Sociedad 0 |
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| La Liga (LIGA) | 5 May 2007 | Real Sociedad 0 - Barcelona 2 |
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Barcelona
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| 25 May 2012 | Athletic de Bilbao 0 - Barcelona 3 | ESPC |
| 12 May 2012 | Betis 2 - Barcelona 2 | LIGA |
| 5 May 2012 | Barcelona 4 - Espanyol 0 | LIGA |
| 2 May 2012 | Barcelona 4 - Málaga 1 | LIGA |
| 29 Apr 2012 | Rayo Vallecano 0 - Barcelona 7 | LIGA |
Real Sociedad
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| 12 May 2012 | Real Sociedad 1 - Valencia 0 | LIGA |
| 5 May 2012 | Osasuna 1 - Real Sociedad 0 | LIGA |
| 2 May 2012 | Atlético de Madrid 1 - Real Sociedad 1 | LIGA |
| 28 Apr 2012 | Real Sociedad 3 - Racing Santander 0 | LIGA |
| 22 Apr 2012 | Real Sociedad 1 - Villarreal 1 | LIGA |
| Returns: | Barcelona £10.80 |
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| Returns: | Draw £460.00 |
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Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 | |
| Returns: | Real Sociedad £810.00 |
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Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
- Real Sociedad confirm principle agreement with Gonzalo Castro
- Real Sociedad want Arsenal loanee Carlos Vela to stay
- La Liga's Bosman list: Albelda, Maresca, Palop & all the players available for free in Spain this summer
- Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi & the nominees for Goal.com's Liga Goal of the Season
| 1 | Víctor Valdés | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Daniel Alves | Defender |
| 5 | Carles Puyol | Defender |
| 21 | Adriano | Midfielder |
| 4 | Cesc Fàbregas | Midfielder |
| 11 | Thiago Alcántara | Midfielder |
| 14 | Javier Mascherano | Midfielder |
| 28 | Dos Santos | Midfielder |
| 10 | Lionel Messi | Striker |
| - | Joan Isaac Cuenca Lopez | Striker |
| 37 | Tello | Striker |
| 13 | José Pinto Colorado | Goalkeeper |
| 3 | Gerard Piqué | Defender |
| 22 | Éric Abidal | Defender |
| 6 | Xavi | Midfielder |
| 16 | Sergio Busquets Burgos | Midfielder |
| 30 | Sergi Roberto | Midfielder |
| 9 | Alexis Sánchez | Striker |
| 1 | C. Bravo | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Carlos Martínez Díez | Defender |
| 3 | Mikel González | Defender |
| 19 | Cadamuro | Defender |
| 26 | Iñigo Martínez | Defender |
| 5 | Markel Bergara | Midfielder |
| 10 | Xabi Prieto | Midfielder |
| 11 | Mikel Aranburu Eizagirre | Midfielder |
| 27 | Rubén Pardo Gutiérrez | Midfielder |
| 7 | Antoine Griezmann | Striker |
| 21 | Diego Ifrán | Striker |
| 25 | Antonio Ramírez Martínez | Goalkeeper |
| 15 | Ion Ansotegui Gorostola | Defender |
| 16 | Vadim Demidov | Defender |
| 22 | Dani Estrada | Midfielder |
| - | Javier Ros | Midfielder |
| 8 | Joseba Llorente Etxarri | Striker |
| 9 | Agirretxe | Striker |
| 23 | Carlos Vela | Striker |
| Alexis Sánchez | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 9 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
Sanchez's promising start to his Barca career was derailed slightly when he came off injured and missed just under two months of action in the last match against Sociedad in September, so the Chilean will certainly be out to extract some revenge against Phillipe Montanier's outfit.
| Agirretxe | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 9 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
Agirretxe is Sociedad's top goalscorer this season with five goals and it was his strike that earned a draw in the previous match against Barca in September. The frontman caused Pep Guardiola's side problems in the second half of that match, so expect him to make his presence felt again.
Barcelona have drawn three successive games for the first time in four years, and the previous match between the sides earlier in the season highlighted Barcelona's defensive frailties when they blew a two goal lead to draw 2-2. However, with the Camp Nou being the fortress that it is, expect a comfortable win for the Catalans.
Results
Times In GMT
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Lionel Messi
Striker Barcelona |
50 | 10 |
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker Real Madrid |
46 | 12 |
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Radamel Falcao
Striker Atlético Madrid |
24 | 5 |
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Gonzalo Higuaín
Striker Real Madrid |
22 | 0 |
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Karim Benzema
Striker Real Madrid |
21 | 0 |
