The lowdown on Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad provide the opposition this weekend. Here's the lowdown on the team that the Catalans will be facing in a Saturday pm CEST kick-off.
Where are they from?
San Sebastián (Donostia in the Basque language) is a beautiful city on the north coast of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Basque Country and just 20 km from the French border. It’s relatively small, with a wonderful old district and spectacular scenery overlooking La Concha bay, making it a very popular place to take a city break.
The club
One such visitor was King Alfonso XIII, who used to stay in the city every summer, which is how the ‘Sociedad de Futbol’ (Football Society) came to be called the ‘Real Sociedad’ (Royal Society) in 1909.
The club is now well-established as a regular feature of la Liga, but its truly golden years were 1981 and 1982, when they won back-to-back league titles. Such success has never been repeated, although they have finished second three times since, most recently in 2003.
They have won the Copa del Rey twice, first in 1987 and then again in 2020, when they defeated their local rivals Athletic Club in the final.
Incidentally, when you hear Spaniards speak of ‘La Real’, they mean Real Sociedad. ‘El Real’, using the masculine, typically means Real Madrid.
The venue
Anoeta, currently known as the Reale Arena for sponsorship purposes, was opened in 1993 as a replacement for the historic Atocha ground of days gone by. Following further expansion work, it now seats 19,500 people. It has also been used for major club rugby fixtures played by French outfit Biarritz Olympique, and was the venue for the 2020 Women’s Champions League Final.
Head to head
Real Sociedad away was very much Barça's bogey fixture for a while. The Catalans failed to win any of eight league and cup games in San Sebastian between 2011 and 2016. But in a remarkable turnaround in events, they have not lost on any of their last nine visits, they have since gone for eight games without losing at the Reale Arena, scoring 15 goals in their last four visits, including a 6-1 victory in 2021.
Barça were a 17-match run without defeat to Real until they lost 2-1 at Spotify Camp Nou last season, although by then they had already sewn up the Liga title.
Last five meetings
20/05/23 (LIGA) Barça 1-2 Real Sociedad
25/01/23 (LIGA) Barça 1-0 Real Sociedad
21/08/22 (LIGA) Real Sociedad 1-4 Barça
21/04/22 (COPA) Real Sociedad 0-1 Barça
15/08/21 (LIGA) Barça 4-2 Real Sociedad
Form guide
After a slow start, 2023/24 is now going very nicely for Real. The only two games they have lost were two of the toughest fixtures of the lot, away to Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, and they are still unbeaten at their home stadium (a 15-match run in all competitions).
They currently lie fifth in the table, but five points separate them from Barça. A win on Saturday would therefore bring them a lot closer to the leading pack, while defeat would leave them with a lot of ground to make up.
Real are also playing in the Champions League, and that do is going very much to plan. They currently sit at the top of a group shared with Inter Milan, Red Bull Salzburg and Benfica.
The players
Most International caps
André Silva (Portugal, 53), Hamari Traoré (Mali, 47), Kieran Tierney (Scotland, 41), Takefusa Kubo (Japan, 28); Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain, 25); Mikel Merino (Spain, 18), Umar Sadiq (Nigeria, 9), Arsen Zakharyan (Russia, 7), Robin Le Normand (Spain, 6), Álvaro Odriozola (Spain, 4), Brais Méndez (Spain, 4)
Barça connections
Japanese winger Takefusa Kubo spent four years of his youth at La Masia but had to leave due to a FIFA ruling After returning to Japan, he then spent four years on the books at Real Madrid, but on loan to different Spanish clubs, eventually joining Real Sociedad. This season he is their top scorer with five goals and two assists, and his current run of at least one goal participation in his last six home fixtures is the longest such run in any of Europe's give biggest leagues.
The manager
A right back for the club in the nineties, Imanol Alguacil is Real Sociedad through and through. He has been part of its coaching setup for the last decade. After Asier Garitano was fired in December 2018, he took command of the first team (having previously already done so temporarily after Eusebio Sacristán had been dismissed), and has been in the post ever since. Alguacil has guided the team to four consecutive top six finishes, and if Europa League qualification wasn't enough two seasons ago, last season he took them into the Champions League for the first time since 2014.