Two clubs in opposite halves of La Liga table will do battle today in a match between Barcelona and Real Sociedad. The first-division clash scheduled for 12 p.m. ET can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on beIN Sports.
The Stage
Fresh off an undressing of Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, Lionel Messi and company return to the pitch in hopes of solidifying their league title. Though Real Sociedad have improved in recent weeks, Barcelona have the added advantage of boasting not only a loaded roster, but the most in-form player in the world.
"We have Messi, so it is an advantage for us," said midfielder Javier Mascherano (via Inside Spanish Football). "Messi is a player who is impossible to describe. You just have to watch him."
"We have to keep the mentality and go in with the same mentality that we went in with today [against Bayern Munich] and try to do our jobs."
The In-Form Player
You don't take the life from a defender and expect not to be the in-form player in a match. Lost in Messi's brilliant tally of 40 goals and 18 assists is an absurd average of 5.2 take-ons in domestic and European competition.
Projected Lineups
Barcelona (4-3-3): Bravo; Alba, Mascherano, Pique, Alves; Rafinha, Busquets, Rakitic; Pedro, Suarez, Messi
Real Sociedad (4-2-3-1):Rulli; Bella, Elustondo, Martinez, Martinez; Bergara, Pardo; Castro, Grandero, Prieto; Vela
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
Standings
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Barcelona | 35 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 105 | 19 | 86 | 87 | |||
| 2 | Real Madrid CF | 35 | 28 | 1 | 6 | 105 | 32 | 73 | 85 | |||
| 3 | Atlético Madrid | 35 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 65 | 26 | 39 | 76 | |||
| 4 | Valencia CF | 35 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 64 | 27 | 37 | 72 | |||
| 5 | Sevilla FC | 35 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 65 | 41 | 24 | 69 | |||
| 6 | Villarreal CF | 35 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 45 | 32 | 13 | 54 | |||
| 7 | RCD Espanyol | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 49 | |||
| 8 | Athletic Club | 35 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 34 | 38 | -4 | 48 | |||
| 9 | Málaga CF | 35 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 37 | 42 | -5 | 47 | |||
| 10 | Celta de Vigo | 35 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 42 | 40 | 2 | 46 | |||
| 11 | Real Sociedad | 35 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 40 | 44 | -4 | 43 | |||
| 12 | Rayo Vallecano | 35 | 13 | 4 | 18 | 40 | 63 | -23 | 43 | |||
| 13 | Elche CF | 35 | 11 | 7 | 17 | 33 | 58 | -25 | 40 | |||
| 14 | Getafe CF | 35 | 10 | 6 | 19 | 29 | 54 | -25 | 36 | |||
| 15 | Levante UD | 35 | 9 | 8 | 18 | 32 | 63 | -31 | 35 | |||
| 16 | UD Almería | 35 | 8 | 8 | 19 | 31 | 57 | -26 | 32 | |||
| 17 | Eibar | 36 | 8 | 7 | 21 | 30 | 54 | -24 | 31 | |||
| 18 | Deportivo La Coruña | 35 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 30 | 57 | -27 | 30 | |||
| 19 | Granada CF | 35 | 5 | 13 | 17 | 24 | 64 | -40 | 28 | |||
| 20 | Córdoba CF | 35 | 3 | 11 | 21 | 21 | 61 | -40 | 20 |
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