Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad prediction, odds, line: Soccer expert reveals La Liga picks, bets for April 21
Barcelona will try to get back on track from an embarrassing loss when it visits Real Sociedad for a Spanish La Liga match Thursday. Both teams are in the running for top-four spots that would net them Champions League berths for next year. Barcelona (17-9-5) is in second place, 15 points behind league leader Real Madrid, while Sociedad (15-10-7) is in sixth position in the La Liga table. The second through sixth spots are separated by just five points with six games left. Barca has the edge, as it has seven games to play, but it suffered a stunning 1-0 loss to 16th-place Cadiz at Camp Nou on Monday. That was its first league loss in 15 games. Sociedad has lost once in its last eight — to Real Madrid — and is almost impossible to score on at home.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at Reale Arena. Barcelona is a +114 favorite (risk $100 to win $114) on the 90-minute money line in Caesars Sportsbook’s latest Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona odds. Sociedad is a +245 underdog, a draw is listed at +240 and the over-under for total goals scored is set at 2.5. Before locking in any Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad picks, you need to see what soccer insider Jon Eimer has to say.
Eimer is a high-volume bettor who has vast knowledge of leagues and players across the globe. Since joining SportsLine, Eimer has covered the English Premier League, Serie A, the FA Cup and much more. The Indiana-based handicapper compiled a winning record of 260-133-1 with over 90 units of profit for his community on various platforms over a recent two-month stretch.
Now, Eimer has broken down the Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona matchup from all sides and just locked in his picks and La Liga predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the betting lines and trends for Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad:
- Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona spread: Barcelona -0.5 (+105)
- Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona over-under: 2.5 goals
- Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona money line: Sociedad +245, Barcelona +114, Draw +240
- RSO: Real Sociedad has seven clean sheets in its past 10 matches
- BAR: Barcelona has scored 28 goals in its last 10 league games
Why you should back Barcelona
La Blaugrana has not lost to Sociedad since April 2016, going 12-2-0 in the past 14 meetings in all competitions. It won 6-1 in the last matchup in San Sebastian and 4-2 in a meeting at Camp Nou to kick off this season. Barca will be fired up after dominating Monday’s game but failing to score for the first time in a league match since last December. It held the ball for 76 percent of the game and outshot Cadiz 18-6 but couldn’t find the back of the net. It has scored 60 goals in its 31 matches, second-most in the league, and faces a Sociedad team that has scored just 32.
That is the number that Barcelona has conceded, just two more than the 30 of La Real’s vaunted defense. La Blaugrana has the firepower to pile up goals, with Ferran Torres and Ousmane Dembele making plays on the wings and either Memphis Depay or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the middle. The 22-year-old Torres has four goals in 11 games since returning from a long-term injury, and Dembele has 11 assists, tied for the league lead. Aubameyang and Depay have combined for 18 goals. Barcelona has lost just two games away from home (7-7-2).
Why you should back Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad has been one of the stingiest defenses in the league, especially on home soil. It has conceded just six goals in its 16 home matches, six fewer than any other team. It has allowed one goal over its five-game unbeaten run overall, and its loss to Real Madrid is its only blemish in its past eight (5-2-1). Opponents don’t have trouble getting off shots, with Real Sociedad allowing almost 11 per game, but they don’t put many on target.
Real Sociedad has lost just twice at home this season, and it will get a lot of backing from the crowd as it goes after what could be its first top-four finish in the league since 2013. It knows it needs to win games like this, with just six games remaining to close the gap. Mikel Oyarzabal, who has a team-high nine goals, tore an ACL last month, and David Silva will be out on a red-card suspension. However, Alexander Isak (five goals) and Alexander Sorloth (two) are both capable players in attack, and Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi are emerging young stars in midfield.
How to make Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona picks
Eimer has broken down Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad from every angle. He is leaning under on the goal total and has provided two other confident best bets and a full breakdown of the match. He’s only sharing his expert La Liga picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona? And where does all the betting value lie? Visit SportsLine now to see the best bets for Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad, all from the soccer expert who has his finger on the pulse of the game all over the world, and find out.
