Barcelona will take on Real Sociedad in their first game of the 2021/22 La Liga tonight (Sunday).
Lionel Messi ended up leaving the Catalans after they were unable to renew his contract, signing for Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal.
Given the turmoil off the pitch and the dread of Messi’s shock departure, the pressure will be on the players to bring some optimism and joy back among the fans during the gloomy period.
A winning start will be of utmost necessity if Barca are to mount a strong title challenge after coming in third last time out.
However, things may not be straightforward against Imanol Alguacil’s Real Sociedad, who have had a decent pre-season as well, winning three of their five games, although they did lose their latest friendly clash 3-1 to CA Osasuna.
Nonetheless, La Real are a team that cannot be taken lightly. Having finished fifth in the season gone by, they will be eyeing to improve on their position.
Barcelona Vs Real Sociedad Lineup
Barcelona XI (4-3-3): Neto, Dest, García, Piqué, Alba, De Jong, Busquets, Pedri, Griezmann, Depay, Braithwaite
Real Sociedad XI (4-1-4-1): Remiro, Zaldúa, Elustondo, Le Normand, Muñoz, Portu, Zubimendi, Merino, Januzaj, Silva, Oyarzabal
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Kick off is at 19:00 (GMT +1).
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
