FC Barcelona host Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey Quarter-Final Second Leg

Barcelona hold a 1-0 lead going in to the second leg.

Form

Barcelona are on a good run with four wins in a row, and are unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions. The Catalans finally seem to have hit form after a sluggish start to the year. At Camp Nou, Barça are unbeaten since September when they lost to Deportivo Alavés. Since then, they have won nine and drawn three games at home in all competitions. In contrast, Sociedad have had mixed form with three wins in the six games since the start of the new year. They have done well, away from home, so far this year with a win against Málaga and a draw at Villarreal in the two games they have played.

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Squads

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The Barcelona midfield has been decimated by injuries. In the last match against Eibar, Sergio Busquets was injured, which means three midfielders are currently out. The other two being Andrés Iniesta and Rafinha. Luis Enrique has also decided to rest Marc-André ter Stegen for this match, which is part of his rotation strategy to use the second goalkeeper for the cup competition. The Catalans are also without Marc Cardona, but he was extremely unlikely to play.

Similarly to this, Sociedad have plenty of injuries to deal with. David Concha, Mikel González Martínez, Carlos Martínez and Joseba Zaldúa are all out for this match. Yuri Berchiche is also unavailable because of suspension. The fact that four of these are defenders means that the base of the team is weaker than usual, so the Barcelona front three should be able to cut through their defence.

EIBAR, SPAIN – JANUARY 22: Sergio Busquets of FC Barcelona reacts on the pitch after being injured during the La Liga match between SD Eibar and FC Barcelona at Ipurua stadium on January 22, 2017 in Eibar, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) /

History

Recent history in this fixture favours the home team. In the first leg between the two last week, Barcelona finally won at the Anoeta Stadium, which they had been unable to do since 2007. This shows how important home advantage has been because it’s rare for a Spanish team to have such an impressive record against Barça. The Catalans have won three of the last five in this fixture, and they have won the last twenty games at home against this opposition, so they have the advantage going in to this match mentally as well as physically due to the 1-0 lead.

EIBAR, SPAIN – JANUARY 22: Ivan Rakitic of FC Barcelona reacts during the La Liga match between SD Eibar and FC Barcelona at Ipurua Municipal Stadium on January 22, 2017 in Eibar, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images) /

Playing Style

Sociedad like to impose themselves on a game in a similar manner to how Barcelona play. They were unable to do this in the first leg, but the absence of Busquets gives them a great opportunity to do this time around. The person filling in his role is likely to be either Javier Mascherano or Ivan Rakitić. Mascherano is the defensive option of the two, so it’s unlikely to be him. Enrique will want Barcelona to be putting pressure on the opposition in such a key game. Therefore, Rakitić’s dynamism will be key to this.

The only issue is if Sociedad are able to press high up the pitch effectively because Rakitić will struggle to get the ball out of defence if they do this. If this is the case, then the Catalans may switch to more direct play in order to get around this, which would limit their control on the game. However, they have shown previously that they are deadly at transitioning quickly up the pitch if needed. The game against Sevilla FC is a great example of this.

This is a big game for André Gomes and Arda Turan, assuming that they are the other midfielders. They are important in providing the front three with possession. Lionel Messi is likely to drop deep, as he usually does, in order to create chances. However, the two midfielders are important options in the opposition half in order to break open the defence as well as maintain control of the game. Turan is also important because he needs to provide the ability to beat a man which Iniesta, whose role he is occupying, does with ease. Although, he has the added goalscoring threat, which is always useful to have because of the added dimension it gives to their attack.

Prediction: FC Barcelona 3-1 Real Sociedad

Predicted Lineup

Sergi Roberto instead of Aleix Vidal is a possibility.