Real Sociedad vs Barcelona: Test at Anoeta, Blaugrana Aim for 12th Straight Win

JAKARTA - Barcelona will try to extend their winning streak to 12 games in all competitions when they travel to Real Sociedad's home in the continuation of La Liga, Sunday night, January 18. Hansi Flick's team comes with the status of the leader of the standings, four points ahead of Real Madrid in second place, while Real Sociedad is still in 11th place, eight points behind the European zone occupied by Real Betis.

Real Sociedad closed last season in 11th place, and hopes for an improvement in performance in the 2025-26 season have so far not been fully realized. Consistency is still the main homework. From 19 league matches, La Real has only collected 21 points and is back in the middle of the table.

Even so, there are positive signals since the change of coach. Pellegrino Matarazzo started his tenure without defeat, with a record of two wins and one draw. In the last two La Liga matches, Real Sociedad won four points, holding Atletico Madrid at home before winning at Getafe's home. The trend continued in the Copa del Rey, where they eliminated Osasuna on penalties to advance to the quarterfinals.

However, home form is a weak point that is difficult to ignore. Real Sociedad has one of the worst home records in the league this season, only taking 11 points from nine matches with three wins. In terms of meeting records, they also lost four of the last five league duels against Barcelona, although they managed to steal a 1-0 victory at home last season.

At the visitors' camp, Barcelona is in "on fire" mode. Flick successfully juggled the Blaugrana into a winning machine, sweeping away the last 11 matches in all competitions. One of them is the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid, which ensured the first trophy of the season had landed in the Camp Nou cabinet.

Barcelona also just secured a quarter-final ticket in the Copa del Rey after winning 2-0 over Racing Santander. In La Liga, their last match was on January 3, 2026 when they defeated Espanyol 2-0 in the Catalan derby. Since the El Clasico at the Bernabeu in late October, Barcelona have always won in the league, recording nine consecutive victories and confirming their status as champions, although the back line still occasionally looks fragile.

After this match, Barcelona will return to the Champions League with a visit to Slavia Prague. Their position in the league phase is still not safe, in 15th place in the overall standings, two points from the automatic qualifying zone. That is, focus and player rotation will be an important issue in this busy period.

In terms of the team, Real Sociedad is confirmed without Inaki Ruperez who is still injured. Yangel Herrera and Orri Oskarsson are also expected to be absent. Solid performance when winning over Getafe opens the opportunity for Matarazzo to maintain the same line-up, with Brais Mendez back in the plot. Mikel Oyarzabal remains the mainstay in the front line, with five goals and three assists this season.

Barcelona is still missing Gavi and Andreas Christensen due to knee injuries, but the rest of the squad is in top condition. Flick is expected to make changes compared to the Copa del Rey match, with Fermin Lopez, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Eric Garcia, and Raphinha returning to the starting XI. Joao Cancelo, who had been on the bench against Racing Santander, has the chance to make his second debut after returning on loan from Al-Hilal. Ronald Araujo is also ready to strengthen the back line.

The estimated line-up of Real Sociedad players is Remiro under the bar, the back line is filled with Aramburu, Caleta-Car, Martin, and Gomez. In the middle, Soler and Turrientes will set the tempo, while Kubo, Mendez, and Guedes support Oyarzabal as the spearhead.

Barcelona is predicted to field Eric Garcia as goalkeeper, with Kounde, Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, and Balde in the defense. Pedri and De Jong will control the midfield, while Yamal, Fermin, and Raphinha support Ferran Torres up front.

The score prediction leads to a tight match. Real Sociedad has the capacity to make the match run hard and intense, especially at Anoeta. However, with the momentum and depth of the squad, Barcelona is considered solid enough to return home with three points.

Final prediction: Real Sociedad 1-2 Barcelona