La Liga leaders Barcelona have been in sensational goalscoring form this season and visit Real Sociedad on Sunday in La Liga high on confidence.
La Liga leaders Barcelona, who have been scoring goals at an incredible rate this season, will go to Real Sociedad on Sunday with a lot of confidence. The Catalans have scored three goals or more in each of their past seven games, and they have scored 55 goals in 16 games in all competitions. Barcelona has historically had trouble defeating Basque squad La Real in San Sebastian, but since September, Hansi Flick’s team has swept aside every team that has come their way. Six weeks ago, Barcelona lost their sole league game against Osasuna. Since then, they have defeated Real Madrid, the Spanish and European champions, 4-0 and Bayern Munich, 4-1.
“The results speak their own language and it’s really good to see that,” Flick remarked, looking at his club leading La Liga by nine points ahead of Real Madrid.
The return of experienced Polish striker Robert Lewandowski under his former Bayern Munich coach Flick has been a major contributor to Barcelona’s success.
The 36-year-old has been virtually unstoppable this season after at times battling for form last season.
Lewandowski’s brace on Wednesday helped Barcelona easily defeat Red Star Belgrade 5-2 in the Champions League, bringing his season total to 19 goals in 16 games.
“Since the beginning of this season we have a goal — we have to play very attacking football… we score a lot of goals,” Lewandowski continued.
“The defensive line performs admirably as well, and everything is going nearly flawlessly so far.
“Regardless of how many goals we scored today, we must constantly consider how we can grow and what we can do better because we have a lot of games left in the season, whether it’s La Liga or the Champions League. The following game offers a fresh opportunity to win.
Lewandowski is the division’s leading scorer with twice as many goals as any other player, having scored 14 goals in La Liga.
Raphinha and young Spain sensation Lamine Yamal provide the attacker with excellent support, and the three of them routinely destroy opponents.
Dani Olmo, who Barcelona signed in the summer, is also expected to start as he continues his injury recovery.
The playmaker has five goals in five La Liga games since joining the team, including two goals in last weekend’s derby victory against Espanyol.
After a sluggish start, Real Sociedad is now in 11th place in La Liga, but Imanol Alguacil’s team is getting better every week.
After his side lost points early in the season due to poor finishing, the coach predicted that their performance will improve.
Barcelona has scored 40 league goals, while Real Sociedad has only managed 10.
After his side defeated Sevilla last weekend, Alguacil remarked, “I always say that in order to score goals you have to be superior to your opponent and create chances.”
“It’s true that up until now we weren’t performing very well… but what’s important is to create chances, and the team is doing that.”
On Saturday, Real Madrid, in second position, will play Osasuna in an attempt to reduce Barcelona’s lead to six points.
Player to watch: Kylian Mbappe
After two straight home losses, Real Madrid needs to recover, and Mbappe in particular will be looking to silence the naysayers by scoring against Osasuna. The attacker is still honing his relationship with Madrid star Vinicius Junior, and he has only scored one goal in his past six appearances for Los Blancos.
Key stats
2 – Outfielders to play every minute of the opening 12 rounds, Real Betis’s Diego Llorente and Mallorca’s Antonio Raillo
9 – goals Real Madrid have conceded in their last three home matches across all competitions
42 – Raphinha has made the most chances of any player across the five big European leagues
Fixtures
Friday (all times GMT)
Rayo Vallecano v Las Palmas (2000)
Saturday
Real Madrid v Osasuna (1300), Villarreal v Alaves (1515), Leganes v Sevilla (2000)
Sunday
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (1300), Mallorca v Atletico Madrid (1515), Getafe v Girona (1730), Valladolid v Athletic Bilbao (1730), Real Sociedad v Barcelona (2000)
Note: Espanyol v Valencia postponed after heavy flooding in eastern Spain
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