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Played
August 19, 2012 8:00 PM BST
Camp Nou — Barcelona
Referee: José González
Attendance: 57721
August 19, 2012 8:00 PM BST
Camp Nou — Barcelona
Referee: José González
Attendance: 57721
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| Barcelona | 1.10 | 1.00 | 1.08 | 1.00 | 1.08 | 1.02 | 1.08 | 1.05 |
| Draw | 9.00 | 46.00 | 11.00 | 41.00 | 10.50 | 12.00 | 12.80 | 12.14 |
| Real Sociedad | 19.00 | 71.00 | 29.00 | 67.00 | 25.00 | 50.00 | 28.00 | 31.43 |
Barcelona - Real Sociedad Preview: Catalan giants plot return to La Liga summit as Vilanova era begins
All eyes will be on the new Blaugrana boss as he oversees his first competitive game from the Camp Nou dugout after taking over from Pep Guardiola in the summer
By Karthick Arvinth
FC Barcelona Team
| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
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BARCELONA
 Valdes Alves, Pique, Puyol, Alba Fabregas, Busquets, Iniesta Fabregas, Messi, Sanchez |
REAL SOCIEDAD
 Bravo Estrada, Gonzalez, I. Martinez, Angel Illarramendi, Elustondo Castro, Zurutuza, Griezmann Vela |
Barcelona summer signing Jordi Alba is in line for his league debut against Real Sociedad on Sunday.
The former Valencia player is the only major arrival at Camp Nou so far, although a deal for Arsenal midfielder Alex Song is expected to be finalised imminently.
David Villa is unlikely to be involved in the fixture as he continues to build up match fitness, while Thiago Alcantara (tibia) has recovered from injury.
Real Sociedad look set to hand a competitive debut to defender Jose Angel, who was signed on a season-long loan from Italian giants Roma.
Another summer arrival, Chori Castro from Mallorca, could get the nod in attack alongside Carlos Vela and Antoine Griezmann.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
Barcelona have won six of their last eight head-to-head meetings with Real Sociedad (W6, D1, L1).
- The Catalan side are bidding for a fourth consecutive winning start to their league campaign after opening victories over Malaga (2011-12), Racing Santander (2010-11) and Sporting Gijon (2009-10) respectively.
- Lionel Messi (pictured right) was Barcelona's top scorer in pre-season with five goals.
- Real Sociedad have lost on their last 14 trips to Camp Nou.
- The Basque outfit won just three of their 19 away games in the Primera Division last season.
- Sociedad's last victory over Barcelona was a 2-1 home win in April 2011.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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FC Barcelona 5-0 Real Sociedad
- 21.25 %
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FC Barcelona 3-0 Real Sociedad
- 15.43 %
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FC Barcelona 4-0 Real Sociedad
- 11.93 %
| Spain - Primera Division (LIGA) | Jan 19, 2013 | Real Sociedad 3 - FC Barcelona 2 |
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| Spain - Primera Division (LIGA) | Aug 19, 2012 | FC Barcelona 5 - Real Sociedad 1 |
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| Spain - Primera Division (LIGA) | Feb 4, 2012 | FC Barcelona 2 - Real Sociedad 1 |
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| Spain - Primera Division (LIGA) | Sep 10, 2011 | Real Sociedad 2 - FC Barcelona 2 |
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| Spain - Primera Division (LIGA) | Apr 30, 2011 | Real Sociedad 2 - FC Barcelona 1 |
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FC Barcelona
    |
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| May 19, 2013 | FC Barcelona 2 - Valladolid 1 | LIGA |
| May 12, 2013 | Atletico Madrid 1 - FC Barcelona 2 | LIGA |
| May 5, 2013 | FC Barcelona 4 - Betis 2 | LIGA |
| May 1, 2013 | FC Barcelona 0 - FC Bayern München 3 | UCL |
| Apr 27, 2013 | Athletic Bilbao 2 - FC Barcelona 2 | LIGA |
Real Sociedad
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| May 18, 2013 | Sevilla 1 - Real Sociedad 2 | LIGA |
| May 13, 2013 | Real Sociedad 2 - Granada 2 | LIGA |
| May 6, 2013 | Getafe 2 - Real Sociedad 1 | LIGA |
| Apr 28, 2013 | Real Sociedad 4 - Valencia CF 2 | LIGA |
| Apr 21, 2013 | Osasuna 0 - Real Sociedad 0 | LIGA |
| Returns: | Barcelona £10.83 |
|
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets | |
| Returns: | Draw £460.00 |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 | |
| Returns: | Real Sociedad £710.00 |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
| 1 | Víctor Valdés | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Daniel Alves | Defender |
| 5 | Carles Puyol | Defender |
| 18 | Jordi Alba | Defender |
| 4 | Cesc Fàbregas | Midfielder |
| 6 | Xavi | Midfielder |
| 14 | Javier Mascherano | Midfielder |
| 16 | Busquets | Midfielder |
| 10 | Lionel Messi | Striker |
| 17 | Pedro | Striker |
| 37 | Tello | Striker |
| 13 | José Pinto Colorado | Goalkeeper |
| 3 | Piqué | Defender |
| 21 | Adriano | Defender |
| 8 | Andrés Iniesta Luján | Midfielder |
| 30 | Sergi Roberto | Midfielder |
| 7 | David Villa | Striker |
| 9 | Alexis Sánchez | Striker |
| 1 | Claudio Bravo | Goalkeeper |
| 15 | Jon Ansotegui | Defender |
| 22 | Dani Estrada | Midfielder |
| 24 | Alberto De la Bella | Defender |
| 3 | Mikel González Martínez | Defender |
| 2 | Carlos Martínez Díez | Defender |
| 4 | Gorka Gorka Elustondo Urkiola | Midfielder |
| 5 | Markel Bergara | Midfielder |
| 20 | Asier Illarramendi Illarramendi | Midfielder |
| 10 | Xabi Prieto | Midfielder |
| 11 | Chory Castro | Midfielder |
| 7 | Antoine Griezmann | Striker |
| 13 | Zubikarai | Goalkeeper |
| - | José Ángel | Defender |
| 19 | Cadamuro | Defender |
| 27 | Rubén Pardo | Midfielder |
| - | Javier Ros | Midfielder |
| 23 | Carlos Vela | Striker |
| 9 | Imanol Agirretxe | Striker |
| Lionel Messi | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 10 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 46 | 1 | 0 |
The Argentine struck a remarkable 73 goals in all competitions last term, shattering Gerd Muller's European goalscoring record of 67 set in 1972-73. While Tito Vilanova would no doubt be relying on Messi to lead from the front again this season, he would be hoping his other forwards can chip in with sizable contributions to take some of the pressure off the three-time Ballon d'Or winner's shoulders.
| Antoine Griezmann | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 7 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 8 | 7 | 0 |
The France Under-21 international boasts plenty of pace and trickery on the wings, but he has also been used as an out-and-out striker to good effect by Philippe Montanier. Should Griezmann be deployed on the left wing - as seems likely - then Dani Alves could be in for a tough night.
Barcelona are about to usher in a new era with Vilanova and it will be interesting to see how he moulds his team through the season. Will he tinker with the striker-less tiki-taka system that has come to be known as the Barcelona way? Regardless, the Catalans have little to fear in Sociedad and should hit the ground running with a straightforward victory.
Results
Times In BST
Live
Final
scheduled
Suspended
Cancelled
Postponed
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Lionel Messi Striker Barcelona |
46 | 4 |
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Cristiano Ronaldo Striker Real Madrid |
34 | 6 |
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Radamel Falcao Striker Atl. Madrid |
28 | 8 |
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Roberto Soldado Striker Valencia |
21 | 5 |
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Negredo Striker Sevilla |
20 | 3 |
