Real Sociedad have enjoyed a good start to the season but a fresh Barcelona team should see off this afternoon's opponents.
The Basque club will fancy their chances as they sit fourth heading into the weekend action, with a win taking them to within a point of third-placed Sevilla.
Barcelona are looking for an eighth-straight win in all competitions as they continue to keep pace with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Ernesto Valderde will no doubt relish playing before their title rivals this weekend, a luxury reserved of Zinedine Zidane of late.
La Liga preview
Real Sociedad vs Barcelona
Venue: Anoeta
Kick-off time: 3pm GMT, Saturday, December 13
Team news and predicted line-ups
Lionel Messi will be back for Barcelona after being left out of the trip to Milan.
Youngsters Carles Perez and Ansu Fati were on target at San Siro, but are expected to be on the bench on Saturday. Luis Suarez and Griezmann - against his former club - should partner Messi. at Anoeta.
Jordi Alba and Nelson Semedo are unlikely to start, but Sergio Busquets will return to the XI with Ivan Rakitic keeping his place.
Real Sociedad possible XI: Remiro; Zaldua, Zubeldia, Llorente, Monreal; Odegaard, Guevara, Merino; Portu, Willian Jose, Oyarzabal
Barcelona possible XI: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Junior Firpo; Busquets, Rakitic, De Jong; Messi, Suarez, Griezmann
Prediction: Sociedad 0-2 Barcelona
A weakened Barcelona team travelled to Milan in midweek, and still denied Inter a place in the Champions League knockout stages, so plenty of players will be fresh.
Expect a routine win on Saturday afternoon.
Tickets
Click here for ticket information.
Betting tips and odds
Match odds
- Sociedad win: 4/1
- Draw: 16/5
- Barcelona win: 4/6
Correct score
| Scoreline | Sociedad win | Barcelona win | Draw |
| 1-0 | 18/1 | 8/2 | 0-0 (14/1) |
| 2-0 | 25/1 | 15/2 | 1-1 (7/1) |
| 2-1 | 14/1 | 15/2 | 2-2 (11/1) |
| 3-0 | 43/1 | 35/1 |
Betfair odds correct as of 4:30pm GMT on December 14 Click here to place a bet.
Live stream details and TV channel information
The match will be shown on LaLigaTV, available with Premier Sports as part of its channel bundle on Sky TV and the Premier Player OTT streaming service for just £11.99 per month or £99 per year (with pricing and launch date on Virgin TV to be confirmed).
You can follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog on the day with Ben Hayward.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Barcelona have a fine recent record against Socieded, winning their last five on the trot. Of 38 meetings, Saturday's hosts have won just six times.
