How will Barcelona measure up to Real Sociedad?

Barcelona face a really tough test in La Liga on Wednesday when league leaders Real Sociedad visit the Camp Nou.

Ronald Koeman’s men were back on the winning track last time against Levante, but they did a tough job and were not entirely convincing.

A win over Real Sociedad would be a great boost, but it won’t be easy. Imanol Alguacil’s team has only been defeated once so far this season and has seven wins in its 13 games.

Let’s see how Barcelona could line up:

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It’s hard to see Koeman making many, if any, changes to his defense unless he decides that one of his players needs a break as the game falls amid a busy schedule.

Samuel Umtiti, Junior Firpo and Oscar Mingueza are available to enter if necessary, although it seems that Koeman will continue with the same baseline that kept a clean sheet against Levante.

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Koeman could make changes later and probably needs to, as his team once again leaves too much space in midfield against Levante. Interestingly, Miralem Pjanic has made only one start in La Liga so far, but he could enter the tally on Wednesday.

Frenkie de Jong looks set to continue after a brilliant performance against Levante that could mean Sergio Busquets is on the bench. Carles Alena is another option but it seems that he has recently been forgotten again.

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Lionel Messi scored the only goal of the game last time, but Koeman will need more of his attack against Real Sociedad. Pedri could go back to the starting eleven after leaving the bank last time.

The lack of breadth is still a problem, with Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembélé out, but it seems unlikely that Konrad de la Fuente or Francisco Trincao are starters. Riqui Puig is another player that fans would love to see, but probably not.

Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann seem sure starters, while Martin Braithwaite could also continue in attack with Philippe Coutinho falling to the bench.

Possible XI: Ter Stegen; Dest, Araujo, Lenglet; Sunrise; Pjanic, De Jong; Messi, Griezmann, Pedri; Braithwaite.

How do you think Barcelona should line up against Real Sociedad? Let us know your thoughts, predictions, and teams in the comments below!