Real Sociedad vs Barcelona prediction 18.01.2026 | La Liga

Before the last season, the Basque team finished in the top six in each of the seasons from 2019/20 to 2023/24. However, the previous season was terrible, as they finished 11th, and they have continued with poor performances this season. They had a horrible start to the season and even spent some time in the danger zone. At the moment, they are 11th with 21 points from 19 rounds, eight points away from European spots. The club eventually decided to sack coach Sergio Francisco in December after only 18 matches with the club. After that, the Basque team started playing a bit better, and it will be interesting to see whether they can continue to perform well under coach Pellegrino Matarazzo.

After a 3:2 win over Osasuna (after penalties), coach Pellegrino Matarazzo spoke to the media. He said they undoubtedly deserved a win and praised the players for not giving up after being two goals down. The coach also said the win was very important to build the team's confidence and momentum. 

Barcelona won the double last year and are doing a magnificent job this season. At the moment, they are at the top with 49 points from 19 rounds - 2.58 per game. That is around 0.26 points per game more than last season, when they won the title. That alone says a lot about their performances this season. To be fair, the Catalan team had some problems in the Champions League, but mostly in the first part of the competition. Generally speaking, Barca are in superb form and are only looking better as the season progresses. 

After a 2:0 win over Racing Santander in the Copa del Rey, coach Hansi Flick spoke to the media. He said he liked the team's attitude and particularly praised them for keeping a clean sheet. When asked about an 11-game winning