Real Sociedad vs Barcelona: The Blaugrana keep pushing

Barcelona come into Sunday night's match away at Real Sociedad looking to make history, as they attempt to add to their eight-match winning run away from home in LaLiga Santander, yet La Real want to maintain their unbeaten home record in 2021.

Should Ronald Koeman's side emerge victorious in San Sebastian, they will equal their third-best run of wins away from home, which was achieved in the 2008/09 campaign. This was only surpassed by the Barcelona teams of 2012/13 and 2009/10, as they went on a 10- and 12-match winning run respectively.

Picking up three points would also ensure they stay hot on Atletico Madrid's heels, with Los Rojiblancos having a four-point lead at the top but with the chance to extend it to seven points with a win at home to Alaves (18:30 CET) earlier in the day.

Real Sociedad, meanwhile, have made the Reale Arena a fortress since the turn of the year, winning three and drawing two of their five home league matches in 2021.

Looking ahead to Sunday night's match, Koeman is clear that he will opt for his first-choice starting line-up, which means he has no intention of resting Lionel Messi, Frenkie de Jong and co.

Both Messi and De Jong are one card away from a suspension, so if they pick up a card against Real Sociedad they would miss the Real Valladolid match after the international break, otherwise they risk missing the Clasico with a card against Valladolid.

System

The big question mark is over what system Barcelona will use at the Reale Arena: the three-man defence of recent weeks, or will Koeman revert to the tried-and-trusted 4-3-3?

Some bad news for La Real has come with David Silva, who has not been included in the squad list after coming off injured in his side's 1-0 defeat away at Granada last weekend.

Real Sociedad have not lost at home since the visit of Atletico Madrid, who beat them 2-0 on December 22. Since then, though, they have gone on a five-match home unbeaten run in LaLiga Santander.

Barcelona had a period in which they would always struggle whenever they faced La Real in San Sebastian, but they have turned that around now, winning two and drawing two in their last four visits to the Reale Arena.

In fact, the last time Real Sociedad beat the Blaugrana at home was on April 9, 2016. The only survivors from that day are Aritz Elustondo, Joseba Zaldua, Asier Illarramendi and Mikel Oyarzabal.

Illarramendi and Oyarzabal will both be key for La Real on Sunday night, along with Ander Guevara and Mikel Merino. Imanol Alguacil's doubt comes on the right wing, as he must decide who to start out of Adnan Januzaj and Portu.