Copa del Rey 2022-2023: Barcelona vs Real Sociedad: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head

The cup competition has come to the quarterfinal stage.

On Wednesday evening, Barcelona will welcome Real Sociedad in an exciting Copa del Rey quarter-final match at Camp Nou. To go this far, Xavi's team defeated Ceuta 5-0, while the visitors won a tough match against Mallorca 1-0 in the last 16. Barcelona recently won the Spanish Cup final against Real Madrid in a comfortable 3-1 win as Barca's youngsters Gavi and Pedri gave a show to watch with Lewandowski's brilliant performance. Whereas Real Sociedad are one of the best teams in La Liga this season as they are in the 3rd position currently behind Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Kick-off: 1:30 am (IST), 8:00 pm (GMT)

Barcelona form (all competitions): W-W-W-W--W-W

Real Sociedad form (all competitions): W-W-W-W-W-W

Players to Watch

Barcelona

Robert Lewandowski

The Polish sniper is one of the best players in the team as he has scored 21 goals in 23 appearances with 7 assists in all competitions this season for Barcelona. He won his first-ever trophy with the Spanish giants against Real Madrid but won't miss the chance of missing the Copa del Rey. His great positioning and physicality can be a major asset for Barcelona in this Copa del Rey triumph.

Real Sociedad

Alexander Sorloth

The Norwegian is one of the best players on Real Sociedad's roster this season. He has played a major role in the club's great performance so far. Sorloth has scored 10 goals in 19 appearances and has 2 assists this season. He can be one of the players to cause Barcelona major problems during the match. He is known for his finishing ability and pace during counter-attacks with his teammates.

Match Facts

• FC Barcelona is in excellent home form while Real Sociedad is performing very well at away.
• So far this season in the Copa del Rey, FC Barcelona has averaged 2.33 Points Per Game at home matches and Real Sociedad 2.5 Points Per Game at away matches.

Head-to-Head record

Matches - 30

Barcelona - 20

Real Sociedad - 5

Draw - 5

Team and Injury News

In Sunday's triumph over Getafe, Andreas Christensen left at halftime with hamstring pain, but Barcelona manager Xavi will welcome back Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres after their La Liga suspensions.

Christensen completed Monday's rehabilitation practice, but Ronald Araujo should return to the backline, and Xavi has no additional injury concerns for the quarterfinal.

Alex Sola, Mikel Merino, Ander Guevara, Andoni Gorosabel, Jon Pacheco, Sadiq Umar, Martín Merquelanz, and Mohamed-Ali Cho remain injured for Real Sociedad, with Merino and Gorosabel both leaving the last 16 wins over Mallorca with injuries.

In-demand Merino is expected to miss a month with a hamstring injury, but Alguacil still has a few options in the final third as Oyarzabal recovers from his cruciate ligament tear.

Takefusa Kubo did not play against Rayo Vallecano as a precaution, but he trained regularly on Monday and might start alongside Barcelona-linked Martin Zubimendi, who returns from suspension to face his admirers.

Predicted Lineups

Barcelona predicted lineup:Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Garcia, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, De Jong; Dembele, Lewandowski, Raphinha

Real Sociedad predicted lineup:Remiro; Elustondo, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Rico; Mendez, Illarramendi, Zubimendi; Silva; Sorloth, Oyarzabal

Match Prediction

Sociedad's winning streak has been admirable despite their injury issue, and after seeing Getafe use a low block to good success against Barcelona, Alguacil's defensively solid team can be confident of holding the Blaugrana at bay for long periods of the game.

A rejuvenated Lewandowski, on the other hand, poses a threat to the visitors, whose luck may run out on the Camp Nou pitch as Barcelona ekes out a hard-fought win to advance to the semi-finals.

Prediction: Barcelona 1-0 Real Sociedad

Where to watch?

India - N/AUK - N/AUSA - ESPN+Nigeria - Live Soccer TV