FC Barcelona (2nd, 16pts) vs Real Sociedad (18th, 5pts)
Competition/Round: 2025-26 La Liga, Matchday 7
Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Marc-André ter Stegen, Joan Garcia, Gavi, Raphinha, Fermín López (out)
Real Sociedad Outs & Doubts: Aritz Elustondo, Orri Oskarsson,
Yangel Herrera (doubt)
Date/Time: Sunday, September 28, 2025, 6.30pm CET (Barcelona), 5.30pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 12.30pm ET, 9.30am PT (USA), 10pm IST (India)
Venue: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández
VAR: Javier Iglesias Villanueva
How to watch on TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), Premier Sports 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Movistar (Spain), others
How to watch online: ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports Player (UK), FanCode (India), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Following a hard-fought win over Real Oviedo in midweek to extend their winning streak to four games after the international break, Barcelona return to action with a La Liga match against Real Sociedad at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Sunday evening.
Barça come into this one with added motivation thanks to Atlético Madrid’s epic win over Real Madrid in Saturday’s Derby, which ended Los Blancos’ perfect start and gives the Blaugrana the chance to go top of the table with a win on Sunday, which would be their fourth straight in the league and fifth in all competitions.
This exact scenario took place almost seven months ago: Barça hosted Real Sociedad at Montjuïc on a Sunday afternoon with a chance to go top of the La Liga table, and what followed was a spectacle: after La Real went down to 10 men with an early red card Barça put on a show, with nearly 80% possession and over 30 attempts without allowing a single shot as the Blaugrana won 4-0 and reclaimed top spot, which they would never relinquish en route to winning the league title.
It’s hard to expect things to unfold the exact same way this time, simply because it’s hard to count on a red card to change a game as early as it did last March. Barça will also be facing a much more desperate Sociedad team, who will start the game just outside the relegation zone and are in need of a major result to turn their season around.
The core of the squad that had so much success under previous manager Imanol Alguacil is still there, although the departure of Martin Zubimendi has had a serious impact on their midfield. There’s still a ton of talent up front, however, and a hard-fought first win of the season against Mallorca in midweek will give them confidence that they can pull off a huge upset.
Barça have a weird habit of not taking advantage of big Real Madrid losses in recent years, but they really need to come out on top in this one and send an early statement in the title race after their biggest rivals showed major signs of weakness on Saturday. A victory against Sociedad also gives a boost of confidence ahead of the monster Champions League clash with PSG, so there are multiple reasons to be motivated to get all three points on Sunday.
Let’s dance.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsí, Martín; De Jong, Pedri; Rashford, Olmo, Ferran; Lewandowski
Real Sociedad (4-3-3): Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Caleta-Car, Gómez; Méndez, Gorrotxategi, Soler; Kubo, Oyarzabal, Barrenetxea
PREDICTION
La Real really need a result and they’ll put up a fight, but I believe the home team will have the right level of focus and motivation to pick up the victory and reclaim top spot: 3-1 Barça.
