Barcelona v Real Sociedad Betting Tips [20 May 2023]

Round 35 of the Spanish La Liga will have Barcelona host Real Sociedad in one of the fixtures set for Saturday. Barcelona have already secured this season’s title while Sociedad are fourth and targeting a top 4 finish. A 4-2 win away to Catalan rivals Espanyol last time out, secured Barcelona’s 27th league crown with four rounds left to play. Xavi’s charges have registered an insurmountable 85 points which is 14 more than their closest challengers. They have dominated and have won the most matches – 27. The Blaugrana have lost three matches all season (the least) and have conceded just 13 goals. That win over relegation-threatened Espanyol extended their winning streak to three matches. With their remaining four matches now a formality, Xavi could seek to give minutes to the fringe players starting Saturday. This could give Sociedad and the rest a chance. But with Barcelona unbeaten at home in the league, Sociedad have their work cut out.

Real Sociedad have lost eight straight matches against Barcelona across all competitions. They have struggled against the Catalans with their last win dating back to 2016. Erreala will however be confident of at least avoiding defeat this time around given their recent form. Imanol Alguacil’s charges carry with them a five-match unbeaten record and drew 2-2 with Girona last time out. They have won three matches in this run with the standout victory being a 2-0 success over Real Madrid. Sociedad do not have the luxury of Barcelona to play a weakened team as they are yet to achieve their target. They come to this match sitting in the last remaining position for Champions League qualification and five points clear.

Barcelona are the best defensive team in La Liga while Sociedad have enjoyed a renaissance at the back recently. Low scores have been the order in these teams’ matches and we will back the trend to continue. Our prediction for Barcelona v Real Sociedad is for the match to see under 2.5 goals.