FC Barcelona targets its head this Sunday in Montjuic, before traveling to Lisbon to face Benfica in the final of the Champions League. After the defeat of Real Madrid yesterday against Betis (1-2), the Blaugranas can become the only Liga leaders in case of success against Real Sociedad this afternoon, thus potentially taking 3 points ahead of the Merengues and a length of Atlético which is still 2nd. The title race is in full swing on the other side of the Pyrenees. For this match, Hansi Flick aligned the heavy artillery, with Lewandowski in Pointe, Raphinha and Yamal on the sides. Pedri, Casado and Olmo formed the midfielder, Koundé and Martin protected the corridors around the Araujo-Cubarsi hinge. Szczesny was for the goal. Real Sociedad lined up a 4-4-2 with Oskarsson and Marin ahead.
Barcelona
4
25 '
Gerard Martín
29 '
Marc Casadó
56 '
R. Araujo
60 '
R. Lewandowski
Real Sociedad
0
finished
The match took time to intensify. It was necessary to wait to see the meeting switch before the quarter of an hour of play. Indeed, Lewandowski, then placed in pivot, launched perfectly Olmo in the axis, which took over Elustondo and pushed it to make mistakes, in the position of the last defender. Logical expulsion therefore and Real quickly found itself in numerical inferiority (17th). The threat was cleared in the Basque surface. FC Barcelona combined in the surface, Yamal found Olmo who saw his left shot be countered in front of the goal (21st). The Blaugranas were unrolled from Elustondo's red and combined too easily in the surface. Yamal made his technique speak to enroll Lopez, Olmo raised a good center to the 2nd post for its side which crossed from the left in the small opposite net (25th, 1-0). Barcelona knocked out her opponents in a few minutes. The ball was cleared on Olmo who crossed the law, Casado died to bring this strike into the context with the help of the post (29th, 2-0). The show then continued. Yamal's comma to serve Koundé made Montjuic of pleasure roar. He then centered back for Pedri who opened his right foot, but aimed at Remino (39th). The Blaugranas made the seat of the surface of the Sociedad and wanted to knock out this match for good before the break. Olmo's shot in the half moon was deflected (44th).
No match after the red card!
The expulsion clearly ended the Basque hopes. Moreover, Imanol Alguacil very quickly made changes by resting Martín Zubimendi and Ander Barrenetxaa. On the return from the locker room, Barcelona immediately used the spaces to devour on the back of the defense of the Real Sociedad. Raphinha overturned in Yamal's race which missed its dribbling and could not put itself in the striking position, taken by the opposing withdrawal (47th). Raphinha was responsible for a nice free kick 20 meters to the right of the axis. He wrapped from the left to the first post, the shot finished right next to the frame (51st). Despite everything, Real Sociedad has offered a dangerous sequence. Indeed, the ball struck on the left side, then Oskarsson plunged to the first post to place a dismissed head which does not find the frame (54th). Author of an overpowered missile 25 meters on the left side, Pedri has set a tense shot that came to hit the Basque goal edge (55th). On the following action, Barça tripled the corner.
Indeed, Lewandowski amounted to the first post but stumbled first on Remi, the ball returned to Araujo who concluded at close range of the head without trembling (56th, 3-0). Served 20 meters from the goal and crossed the law by Araujo, Lewandowski died to take Remino on the contained (60th, 4-0). The double reached the arms to the Pole, perfectly served by Yamal in front of the goal. But he cleaned his head too much at a bland point, not framing (80th). The last minutes were somewhat soporific with a Barcelonnaise team that circulated the leather. In the ranking, FC Barcelona officially resumes the 1st position, while Real Sociedad still camps this 9th position and will now have to make a big end of the season to hope to pocket a European ticket for next year. Next weekend, the Catalans will welcome Osasuna, while the Txuri-Urdinak will play at home against Seville FC, during the 27th day of the Spanish championship. The Blaugranas are ready for Benfica.
